In this country, teeth were painted black, people did not like white teeth, have you ever visited this unique place?

Black Teeth Tradition: Every country in the world has different beliefs, which make the people there different. After the development of cities, the population there has forgotten many of its customs. But the country we are going to talk about today is Japan. There was a culture of blackening teeth in Japan. People here considered black teeth as a fashion. This culture is almost non-existent in Japan now, but there was a time when every Japanese had black teeth. Let us tell you that this fashion was not only famous in Japan, it was also seen in many Asian countries around Japan. This trend was also seen in China, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.

According to a report by History of Yesterday, this custom was very famous in the Heian period. The Heian period is said to be between the years 794 to 1185. It is also called the Ohaguro belief. Why did the people here not like white teeth? Why did they like to get them blackened? Let’s know in this report…

Why did you get your teeth blackened?
The process of blackening teeth started when young men and women entered puberty. Blackening teeth indicated that they were becoming young. Apart from this, it was considered a sign of wisdom. Doing this was also considered healthy because it prevented tooth cavity and kept gums healthy. There was no harm of any kind from this practice. In that era, having black teeth was considered a sign of beauty. The special thing is that girls who reached marriageable age also continued this practice. Many girls used to whiten their mouths so that black teeth would shine from a distance.

Is this tradition still continuing?
In Japan, people from royal families and samurai always kept their teeth black. People used to paint their teeth black during weddings or funerals. Apart from this, military personnel also used to paint their teeth black to hide injuries in their mouths. However, this tradition has become almost non-existent in today’s time. But in Japan’s Geisha district, many women still sometimes paint their teeth black.

With which substance were teeth blackened?
The Japanese used to prepare a substance called Kanemizu to blacken their teeth. To make this, they used to mix iron fillings with vinegar, tea, and rice wine. The iron fillings were either mixed with tea or vinegar. The liquid turned black on its own after oxidation and was then applied to the teeth, which turned the entire teeth black.

Tag: best tourist destinations, Japan, lifestyle, Travel