noun
tooth blackening; ohaguro
Historical practice in Japan, especially among married women and aristocrats, of dyeing teeth black using a solution of iron filings and vinegar. Now obsolete except in traditional performances or historical contexts. Often referred to as お歯黒 in modern Japanese.
See also: お歯黒
江戸時代には、既婚女性が歯黒をしていた。
In the Edo period, married women practiced tooth blackening.
歯黒は、鉄漿とも呼ばれる染料で行われた。
Tooth blackening was done with a dye also called 鉄漿.
Polite form with honorific prefix お, more commonly used in modern references to the historical practice.
Compound of 歯 (ha, 'tooth') and 黒 (kuro, 'black'), with rendaku voicing of くろ to ぐろ. The alternate spelling 鉄漿 literally means 'iron liquid', referring to the dye mixture.