深川歯科院長の発表した論文を紹介します

In Japan it has been recognized by several studies of teeth color that teeth color reflects cultural belief and practices. Mitumasa Hara studied the custom of black teeth with regard to adornment of the body in his work, A study of ‘ohaguro’. However, very few attempts have been made to support the idea that teeth color is part of culture.

Graeme Turner states that “culture, as a site where meaning is generated and experienced, becomes a determining, productive field through which social realities are constructed, experienced and interpreted.” Historically, in Japan, there was a custom of dyeing white teeth black, which is called ‘ohaguro’. The custom of black teeth disappeared with the influx of foreign culture in the Meiji Era. These days, there is a tendency not only to restore the discolored teeth to their natural color, but also to make them even whiter. This ‘whitening’ is in fashion now.

Color in fashion changes as time passes. It has sometimes been influenced by the culture of other countries. In order to have a deeper understanding of the cultural specifics of representation, which is the practice of making meaning by using signs and language, and their meanings with regard to the color of teeth, it is necessary to look back on the changes of conceptions of color. This paper will discuss teeth color as a cultural form in relation to the following topics：culture, identity globalization and regulation. I would like to explore applications of these topics to the particular cultural acts: ‘ohaguro’ (black teeth) and teeth whitening.

CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. What is culture? 3. Teeth coloras a cultural form 4. The aesthetic sense of teeth color: historical background 1).‘Ohaguro’ as culture 2). Darkness and black 3).‘Whitening’as culture 5. Identity 1). The advertisement of whitening using the code system 2). Fashion and identity 6. Globalization and Regulation 1). Globalization and identity crisis 2). Regulation and power 7. Conclusion