Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-27
TEETH PAINTED BLACK.
Married Women and Old Maids Are
Thus Marked in Japan.
The Lips OF all Women and Girls Are
Touched up With Carmine.

VI AhleiICd anu Europe, anu with the
modes of using them, some interest
dies. The most striking feature to for
eigner in this direction is to see the teeth
of woman black. Japanese fashion
commands that every woman when mar
ried. or who has passed the age in which
she Is likely to be married, has to stain her
| teeth black. This is done with much
trouble and with repeated renewals. The
kit of utensils is made of brass and
| consists of bowl of peculiar form, which
| will hold about half a gallon of water
Across this rests shelf of decorated brass
! three inches wide by twelve inches long.
| On this stands small kettle, in which
the staining liquid is kept hot, and
small cup into which to pour some of the
| staining to cool it, and from which it is
used on the teeth. A box of lacoured
wood contains powdered nutgalls and
small feather brush and the whole set,
when not in use, is kept in large lac
| quered box.
The material consists of a solution OF
| iron nails In a vinegar made of sour sake,
forming what would be known chemically as
acetate of iron. This solution is vigorous
| ly brushedS.over the teeth, followed by a
rubbing of them with powdered nutgalls.
| This forms black tannate of iron on the
teeth. In fact, it is common black writ
ing ink. The process renewed weekly
keeps the teeth of shiny blaclness compar-
able almost to freshly BACKED shoes. The
fashion is said to have originated centuries
| ago among nobility, and hence prevails with
| all other classes. To me the practice is
simply hideous. The children and young
of both SEX have often beautiful, regular.
white teeth, and the contrast of these with
soft, brown skins, black eyes and hair, the
blood showing ruddy through the brown
skin of the cheeks, makes great beauty in
the young japanese a common thing. The
Japanese women fade early, and to add
to the ravages of time such a practice is
sickening. Among the lower classes there
is a tendency in the teeth to project for
ward. and the results is habit of keeping
the mouth open. The reader can fancy the
picture.
| am glad to know that young Japan
does not faver this custom. and that the
married women of to-day among the better
classes have abandoned it.
Painting the lips seems to be universal
with women of all classes and ages. Lit
tie girls not five years old have their lips
bright red. The material used for this is
the coloring matter of safflower, called tech
nically carthamine. The plant (carthamus
tinctorious) is largely grown in southern
Europe, and used as a dye. II is familiar
to us in America for the same purpose, but
not grown to any great extent. In the
drug stores it is known as American Saff-
ron. The color when diluted is rosy
pink; when very deep it has the metallic
bronze green of beetles wing and it is
quite common for Japanese women to ap-
ply the color so thickly that the lips show
bronzy green instead of cherry red.
While both lips are tinted, the most Of
the color is put on the center of the lower
lip, where the ''pout' is. This color is
sold in the cosmetic shops (Komamono-
Ya) as Benz, and is generally in the form
OF little shallow saucers of white earthen
ware, on the inside of which the color has
been spread with the brush to show deep
red with a bronzy green reflection
These cost about two sen Zone and one-half
cents)
White cosmetics consist of finely levi
gated chalky material, scented and put up
in square envelopes, holding perhaps half
an ounce. More common sorts are made
of dry white lead The utensils for ap-
plying white cosmetic consists of three
pairs of brushes made of the hair of the
deer or white rabbit. Each handle flour
inches long, has brush at both ends This
gives an assortment of six brushes varying
diameter and length. A little of this
white powder being placed ON the palm of
the left hand, a few drops of water are
added and by means of one of the brushes
thin, smooth, white paste is formed
which fills the brush, and is so applied to
to the skin. Ladies Of refinement, while
they use white cosmetic to some extent, do
not use it excessively, but the ''geishas'
cover thewhole face, neck and bosom with
the white and in many instances from its
excess they look CHASTITY. Little girls out on
holiday occasions, dressed in their bright
and beautiful fabrics, will be seen covered
with cosmetic white, except three mar
row points like those of Vandyke collar,
which are left on the back of the neck,
points downward, showing the brown skin
In those places. The hands are not whit
enod and gloves are seldom worn.
Those women who blacken the teeth
shave the eyebrows, and it is a very COM
mon custom for ladies to shave to remove
the small downy growth on the upper lip
and other parts of the face and neck
Among the mysteries of the Japanese
ladies toilet are the modes of dressing
udH' IHCoO d1c lISluly Sulucu Wy ldSu-
ions which do not frequently change.
Dressing the hair is an elaborate process,
much pomatrm being used, The hair
once dressed IS not taken down for some
days, the head being supported while
sleeping by little cushioned block in
place of pillow, upon which the neck
rests. OF course repairs are made at inter-
walls and the forms are sustained by clamps,
long pins and ties of thread. The orna-
ments to the hair consist of decorative
hair pins, which are made of an infinite
variety sof patterns. The most common
ornaments, however are an arched comb
of tortoise shell finely laquered with a
rather heavy pin of the same. Hairpins
often have heads of precious stone or metal,
and as the women never wear any bon
net the object of building up the hair in
such difficult elaborate forms is easily
seen.
The heads of children are partially
shaved in many curious modes which are
generally very pretty. Sometimes a little
ring of hair is left around a central bald
spot and two long soap locks stretch down
from the temples nearly to the chin. A
little goatee-llke piece is left In the middle
Of the forehead and back of the head a
broad fringe reaches down the neck.
FREDERICK STEARNs.
Kyoto, Japan.