also: てっしょう
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.
Women in the Edo period applied tooth-blackening dye as a sign of marriage.
I saw an exhibit at the museum on how tooth-blackening dye was made.
Standard kanji spelling for the historical tooth-blackening dye. The reading かね is a gikun (special kanji reading).
Alternate reading, less common than かね. The kanji spelling 鉄漿 is also used with this reading.
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.