This isn't the only Japanese movie I've seen where (in a historical setting) a woman has black teeth. Of course, not in a modern setting. Was this considered a sign of beauty in the past? And how did they get their teeth black? Maybe by eating squid ink?
shareIn Japan, during the Heian period (circa 846 AD to 1185 AD), among the nobility the sight of teeth was considered extremely ugly, so it was common for women (and men!) to blacken their teeth using the powder of a special kind of walnut mixed with vinegar and tea. The Heian society was one of the most appearance-obsessed in the history of humanity, and this kind of detail (plus a lot a very complicate dressing code, the use of perfumes, the way of moving etc) were of paramount importance in courtly life.
sharewow - thanks for the info. i really appreciate it. the first time you see the second wife close-up, you see the blackness over her teeth, and it freaked me out for a second. i thought she was a spirit.
"Rampart: Squad 51."
I also noticed that the second wife has painted eyebrows. Was that also a fashion practice of the Heian period?
Dreaming is nice, but it's time to stop dreaming and start doing.
Yes, it was extremely fashionable for Heian women (and men) of the higher classes to shave their eyebrows and pain them higher than their normal positions. This was because natural eyebrows (and any form of body hairs - except hairs!) were considered "ugly" and improper to show. The "classic" Heian female aristocratic beauty had extremely white and a bit rounded face, shaved eyebrows, small mouth with red painted lips and blackened teeth, and extremely long black hairs (longer than the height of the woman), who took an entire day to wash, and were kept always perfumed. As most of women of the aristocracy showed themselves through movable bamboo screens, hairs were the first thing a man was bound to see.
Deviation from these standards was considered extremely eccentric, and generally frowned upon. There's a story included in the "Tutsumi Chonagon" (a collection of stories and legends from the Heian era) titled "The Princess Who Loved Insects", about a noblewoman who refuses to shave her eyebrows and blacken her teths, and develop a great curiosity upon insects. It was used by Hayao Miyazaki as a basis for the Nausicaa character.
It should be noted that, despite the fact that aristocratic Heian women lived relatively secluded lives, they had a level of literacy unparalleled for the 10th and 11th century. World's first real novel, the monumental "Tale of Genji", was written by Shikibu Murasaki , a Heian lady-in-waiting at the court of Empress Akiko at the turn of the first millennium. And the amusing "Pillow Book", a collection of thoughts in form of diary that can be called the world first blog, was written by Sei Shonagon, another lady-in-waiting of the Heian court that was contemporary of Murasaki.
All this is fascinating! Thank you for sharing this, LSigno!
Dreaming is nice, but it's time to stop dreaming and start doing.
Many thanks, LSigno!
I knew a little about the black teeth but always wondered about if the forehead smudges were supposed to be eyebrows or dimples of somekind.
Fashion is bizzare when veiwed from another culture. Sadly, TV and global marketing is making a lot of the world dress the same. At least much of the unparalelled Japanese fashion and genral design of the ages has been captured in paintings and film for the world to enjoy.
If you're interested in the Heian culture, you should read this fantastic book written in the 70's by expert Ivan Morris. The title is "The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan"
http://www.amazon.com/World-Shining-Prince-Ancient-Kodansha
It's a fascinating read, because Heian period Japan was so much different from what we imagine as "real" traditional Japan - for instance, there was no tea ceremony, no sushi, no martial arts (actually, warriors were considered low class!), no kabuki or noh theatre, no zen, no geishas, etc.
Instead, it was a society obsessed with good taste, society rituals, dressing codes, and especially poetry. Aristocrats (who had rarely any real power, as the court was controlled by a powerful family called Fujiwara) spent most of their time composing short pieces of poetry as a form of communication with friends and/or lovers (sort of X° century SMS!) and showing their erudition. Well, they did also a tremendous amount of courtship - it was a very promiscuous culture, at least for the rich.
It's interesting to note that the Battle of Dan-no-ura (that features so prominently in the "Hoichi" episode of Kwaidan) was the end of the Heian era. The winners, the Minamotos were a warlike clan from the east of Japan, while the Heikes were more traditional representatives of the Heian values. It's interesting to read "Hoichi" as a parable of the regret for a lost era...
wow...i will read the book...Japanese culture is fascinating and this info intrigues me even more...thank you...watching "Kwaidan" for first time as i write this
sharewonderful info and tips
many thanx LSigno!