also: てっしょう
noun
tooth-blackening dye
Historical term for the dark dye used in the custom of ohaguro (tooth blackening), common in Japan until the Meiji era. The reading かね is the most common.
江戸時代の女性は、既婚のしるしとして鉄漿を付けていた。
Women in the Edo period applied tooth-blackening dye as a sign of marriage.
博物館で、鉄漿の作り方の展示を見た。
I saw an exhibit at the museum on how tooth-blackening dye was made.
Alternate reading, less common than かね. The kanji spelling 鉄漿 is also used with this reading.
Refers to the custom of tooth blackening itself, while 鉄漿 specifically denotes the dye used.
The kanji 鉄 (iron) and 漿 (thick liquid) refer to the iron-based liquid used as a tooth-blackening dye. The reading かね is a gikun (special kanji reading) derived from the historical term for the dye.