A Cultural History of Japanese Beauty

(THE JAPANESE OLD STANDARD OF BEAUTY)
EDS613 Language and Culture
By Praewpoyom Boonyamanee 6006049

Select one that is close to
home and familiar.
Old woman fashion beauty
come to mind first is ….
unique
make up
Woman and Beauty go
together
Why did they cover face like that?
How to did ?

• To study Cultural History of Japanese Beauty
• To understand old Japanese standard of beauty

There are three mains old Japanese standard beauty
1
Oshiroi
2
3
Hikimayu
Ohaguro

Oshiroi
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Women painted their face with a white powder

Oshiroi
It’s running from 794 - 1185

Oshiroi
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Reason to did white painted face:
• look better in the candlelight
• clearly visible

Hikimayu
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Hiki + mayu
=
Hikimayu
pull
+ eyebrows
= Pull eyebrows up
The meaning of hikimayu :
Plucking or shaving the eyebrows
and repainting them higher on the
forehead.

Hikimayu
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Original eyebrows

Hikimayu
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Reason to did hikimayu :
• Easy to put on oshiroi
• To prevent political
opponents read emotions

Ohaguro
It’s running from 794 - 1185
歯 (ha) + 黒 (kuro)
=
ohaguro
teeth + black
= Blackened Teeth
The meaning of ohaguro :
A practice in which people (usually
women) dye their teeth black. It was also
done by adult aristocrats and nobles
regardless of gender on a daily basis.

Ohaguro
Only common among:
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Time pass to
“Muromachi period”
Common among:
Nobles
Samurai &
Provincial warriors
Lower classes

Ohaguro
It’s running from 794 - 1185
Reason to did ohaguro:
• Blackened teeth with white
painted face was complimentary
• A mark of sexual maturity
• To hide crooked or yellowed teeth
• To hide the scar from the battle
• Seeing someone's white teeth
was compared with seeing
someone's bones or seeing a
mouthful of mealworms
• it prevented tooth decay , in a
similar fashion to modern dental
sealants

A Tang Dynasty Lady (China)
A Hein Lady (Japan)

1. Many Westerners who visited Japan described ohaguro as a
repugnant Japanese custom which disfigured Japanese
women by making the women intentionally unattractive.
“ One day a handsome Captain happened to pass by
by and admired her from a distance. But then she
smiled and he saw her unblackened teeth gleaming
and flashing and was quite disgusted. ‘There was
something wild and barbaric about it.’ ”

2. On February 5, 1870, the government banned ohaguro and
the process gradually became obsolete.
3. After World War II and beginning in the 1950s, Japan was
heavily influenced by American mass media such as principle
magazines and movies, so the understanding of makeup
increased.
4. In present days, Japanese

1. These three customs reflected the belief that modesty
of expression was a virtue and part of a woman’s
proper demeanor.
2. Different cultures have varied standards for female
beauty. Some societies prefer women with stretched
lower lips, or facial tattoos, or brass rings around their
elongated necks. They are proud to show off their
culture, so you don't immediately think of decay,
judge them be the barbaric when you see the
different cultures from your country.

ありがとうございます
Arigatou gozaimas(u)
Thank you