Suffering for Beauty: Ohaguro, the Practice of Blackening Teeth

To what lengths would you go to make yourself attractive to the opposite sex? Would you dye your teeth black? Down through the years, women have bound their feet or worn corsets. Today, some still wear lip plates or neck rings. Here in America, many wear high heels.

But women aren’t the only sex to endure discomfort to be looked upon as attractive and desirable for a mate. Men go through the rite of scarification. They also wear lip plates.

Very few people are blessed with the natural tooth color of pearly white. Most people’s natural tooth color is tinged with yellow or gray. Much to my astonishment, I discovered that in some parts of the world—some parts of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and even South America—some people dye their teeth black on purpose.

If I were to see someone with black teeth, my first thought would be that their teeth were rotting because this person hadn’t taken good care of them. Maybe they just ate too many sugary foods without properly cleaning their teeth. This was the case in Tudor England when sugar was first imported into the country. The sweetener wasn’t cheap. Those who could afford it grew to love sweets. Because of this, black teeth became a sign of wealth and prosperity. Their teeth weren’t black because of a dye they drank. Their teeth were black because they were rotting from all of the sugary sweets they had eaten.

Up until the end of the 19^th century, blackened teeth were looked upon as beautiful in Japan. I guess it all depends on what a society decides is attractive, but at least their blackened teeth weren’t rotting. The Japanese practice of dyeing one’s teeth black is known as ohaguro.

Did just the women blacken their teeth? Around the age of fifteen, males and females would blacken their teeth as a sign of maturity, but they wouldn’t stay black unless the dye was reapplied.

During the Heian period from 794 to 1185, men and women who were nobles and aristocrats kept their teeth blackened. During the Edo period from1603 to 1868, it was mainly practiced by wealthy married women. In 1870, the Meiji government banned the practice of ohaguro.

How did they dye their teeth black? It required drinking an iron-based dye. The iron was dissolved in vinegar and the resulting solution was combined with tea powder. I don’t think I could drink that. The taste of the dye wasn’t pleasant, so spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and anise would be added to it in order to make the taste a bit not so revolting. I still don’t think I could drink that. Then again, I wouldn’t want to drink it because I don’t want my teeth to turn black. That is what happened to the one brave enough to drink this dye. But the teeth wouldn’t stay black unless the dye was drunk two to three times a day or every few days.

Surprisingly, the practice of ohaguro didn’t harm them physically. The tea concoction might have tasted awful, but it did benefit them by strengthening their teeth and helping to prevent tooth decay and cavities. So why did I include this in the “Suffering for Beauty” articles? Because drinking the tea two to three times a day to achieve this coveted look could not have been pleasant, no matter how many spices or sweeteners or spices were added to it. Once the teeth were successfully blackened, the person would still need to drink this tea once a day or every few days so the teeth’s new color wouldn’t fade.

Is it still practiced today? Yes, but not too near the extent it used to be. Today, usually the only ones who practice ohaguro are maikos (geishas in training) and geishas.

Writing Prompts
How could one use this in their writing?

One of more of your characters could be ready to begin blackening their teeth. Do they want to do this? What will it mean for them if they don’t?

At least one of characters could refuse to have this done. What kind of backlash do they fact from those around them?

Since this tea would have such a horrible taste, my guess is that whoever drank it wouldn’t be able to tell if poison had been added to it. Write a murder mystery where one of the people drinking the tea for ohaguro is poisoned.

Recommended Articles:

Suffering for Beauty – Scarification

Suffering for Beauty – Lip Plates

Suffering for Beauty – Neck Rings

Suffering for Beauty – the Victorian Corset

Suffering for Beauty – High Heels

Suffering for Beauty – Foot Binding

Suffering for Beauty – Unique Hair Care for Your Characters