Teeth blackening or teeth lacquering is a custom of dyeing one's teeth black. It was most predominantly practiced in Southeast Asian and Oceanic cultures, particularly among Austronesian, Austroasiatic, and Kra–Dai-speaking peoples. It was also practiced in Japan prior to the Meiji era, as well as in India. It was also performed among some groups in the Americas, most notably among the Shuar people of northern Peru and Ecuador.
Teeth blackening is usually done during puberty. It was primarily done to preserve the teeth into old age, as it prevents tooth decay similar to the mechanism of modern dental sealants. It was seen as a sign of maturity, beauty, and civilization. A common belief is that blackened teeth differentiated humans from animals. Teeth blackening is often done in conjunction with traditions of tooth sharpening and dental evulsion, as well as other body modification customs like tattoos. Teeth blackening and filing were regarded with fascination and disapproval by early European explorers and colonists.
The practice survives in some isolated ethnic groups in Southeast Asia and Oceania but has mostly disappeared after the introduction of Western beauty standards during the colonial era. It is mainly prevalent in older women, though the practice is still carried on by some younger women. Sometimes artificial teeth are used to achieve blackened teeth.
Teeth blackening is commonly confused with the red-stained teeth from betel chewing. However, betel chewing damages the teeth and gums, while teeth blackening does not.
East and Southeast Asia
Japan
In Japan, teeth blackening is known as . existed in one form or another for hundreds of years, and was seen amongst the population as beautiful until the end of the Meiji period (1868–1911). Objects that were pitch black, such as glaze-like lacquer, were seen as beautiful.
Name
The word was an aristocratic term. There is an alternate term for , . At the old Imperial palace in Kyoto, it was called . Among civilians, such words as , and were used.
History
Traces of blackened teeth can be seen in the buried bones and of the Kofun period (300–538 CE). References to exist in The Tale of Genji and . At the end of the Heian period, at the time when aristocratic men and woman reached puberty and celebrated their or , the Taira clan and other samurai, and pages working at large temples, dyed their teeth using kanemizu, a solution made from ferric acetate, created from soaking iron filings in vinegar, and tannins, derived from vegetables or tea. The Imperial family and other high-ranking aristocrats who had finished their (ceremony where a child is fitted with a ) blackened their teeth and painted their eyebrows (). This was done in the Imperial household until the end of the Edo era.
In the Muromachi period (1336–1573), was generally seen among adults, though when the Sengoku period (1467–1615) began, so as to prepare for political marriages of convenience, when the daughters of military commanders were around 8 to 10 years old, they would blacken their teeth as a marking of their coming of age. Relatives and guardians of the bride who blackened their teeth were called . It is said that military commanders who were struck in the head on the battlefield and who did not want to be ugly would wear average women's makeup and would blacken their teeth. These faces imitated the Noh masks of women and young boys.
After the Edo period (1603–1867), only men of the Imperial House of Japan and the aristocracy blackened their teeth. Due to the odor and labor required for the process, as well as a feeling among young women that they were ageing, was done only by married women, unmarried women who were older than 18, sex workers and geisha. For rural people, was done only at times of special celebrations, such as Japanese festivals, wedding ceremonies, and funerals. There were also depictions of in fairy tales, such as "Gon, the Little Fox".
On February 5, 1870, the government banned and the process gradually became obsolete. After the Meiji period, it temporarily spread, but it almost entirely died out in the Taishō period (1912–1926).
In contemporary times, the only places where can be seen is in plays, on some older apprentice geisha, some festivals, and movies.