Tooth blackening in old Japan

I've been looking up information on the old Japanese custom of ohaguro, a practice of cosmetically blackening one's teeth, which was popular during the Heian period through much of the Edo period.

Lately I've been on a samurai-film binge and re-watched the first Zatoichi film (1962's Tale of Zatoichi), when I came upon a scene I had forgotten about involving a female character with blackened teeth. This immediately led me to look up information on ohaguro, which had partially fallen out of fashion by the Edo period (the setting of the Zatoichi films).

The practice was officially banned by the Meiji government in 1870, but I have not been able to find any information on why the practice was banned. Was it to further the Westernization of Japan during this period? An attempt to abolish old traces of the caste system of the previous periods, similar to the banning of the public wearing of swords (which effectively took away the privileges of the old samurai class)? Is there anyone more familiar with Japanese culture and history here who can enlighten me about why the government would go so far as to ban such a weird custom?

To confirm to western Victorian ways mostly.

People look fucking creepy with black teeth. Maybe they saw sense and banned it.

But the westernisation of Japan through trade might have something to do with it, yeah.

Id be more interested in why the custom began in the first place.

I heard of that custom before, just the thought of it creeped me out. Its not as bad as China's small feet fetish. When it was still a custom, women would wear small shoes up to the point where their feet would be crushed. In exchange for finding a partner, they gave up the ability to walk. I find that more disturbing than blackening your teeth.

From what I gather, it began as a way to mark a young person's becoming an adult (some men also would blacken their teeth). It was also was said to complement the white makeup that many women wore, as white makeup had a tendency to make the teeth look more yellow. But beyond being a status symbol, the dye used for ohaguro actually had a health benefit, since it discouraged tooth decay (though the drink used to dye the teeth was said to smell terrible, so I guess it was a trade-off).


Agreed, foot-binding was particularly gross, especially since studies suggested the reason foot-binding was started was because of a belief that it strengthened the thigh and buttock muscles due to the way it forced women to walk, making it primarily a way to make women more appealing sexually to men.

In many ways, it's similar to the way Victorian women would cinch themselves into binding corsets to create the thin waist that appealed to Victorian men, usually resulting in deforming the ribcages of women and the shifting of their internal organs.

didn't read, too busy looking at Daizha Morgann's vagina and octopus ass.

So sexual expression can get fucked up everywhere. Good to know. I've tossed things into my writing where an beta reader will declare it 'UNREALISTIC!' And I'll site sources from real life, and a few times they'll insist it's still not possible.

And I thought Washington's teeth were gross.

It is pretty yummy, isn't it?