#ohaguro

i was really intrigued by the practice of teeth blackening in harkonnen culture in dune part two, specifically because i recognized it as a historical japanese cultural practice. so here's a breakdown on what teeth blackening looked like in real world japanese culture, my thoughts on why denis villeneuve chose to bring this into harkonnen culture in particular, and the gendered implications of feyd rautha being the only male harkonnen shown with blackened teeth.

ohaguro, which translates to "black teeth," is a custom born in japan that reached peak popularity between the 10th and 19th centuries (it's first documented in writing in the tale of genji from the 11th century). this practice involved blackening teeth with a solution called kanemizu, which translates to "black water" and consists of iron shavings dissolved in vinegar and then combined with tannins to create a black liquid. the dye was re-applied daily or every other day to avoid the dulling or graying of the color.

ohaguro was originally practiced exclusively by member of the aristrocracy, mainly by married women, but also some men. ohaguro was commonly practiced when nobility came of age or when women were married. the practice only died out in the 19th century, largely as a result of western beauty ideals being enforced in japanese society through colonialism.

there are a few different reasons why ohaguro was thought to have achieved such popularity within the upper class. deep black was seen as a very beautiful color, and objects that were black were thought to be beautiful. the dye also possibly served to prevent tooth decay.

we see black as a dominant color in various aspects of harkonnen cutlure, including (but not limited) to the armor, ceremonial markings, and clothing of the upper class:

and i think this nudges us further towards this idea of black as a color of beauty, and the idea that teeth blackening was almost like a form of makeup that was seen to make someone more beautiful within upper class social circles.

considering that ohaguro originated with and remained most popular with noble women in japan, it's also very gender that feyd is the only harkonnen man we see with blackened teeth- his uncle the baron and his brother rabban aren't shown with blackened teeth. and the only others we see with blackened teeth are feyd's harpies, who are women.

My "Yesses" in historical fashion. Based on Pins & Weevils' post on Instagram with the same title. These are all my favourite aspects of historical bodily decoration mainly from the cultures I focus on.

First panel is all me/my work. 1. Generic 'SCA' Viking, 2. 'SCA' Rus with beaded silk cuff, 3. Hand sewn Rus, 4. 16th century/German Renaissance courtier

Heavy fur lining/accents

Coat on bottom right from Kvetun Garment

Sha 紗/Gauze layered garments

Wool with silk trim

Top two garments from Yuliya Viking Clothing, bottom two from Sew or Die Reenact

Suikan/Suo shoulders

Pearl beading

Bottom right is Ruriki Family, bottom left is my work

Igote / Archer's arm guard

Teeth blackening

Tattooing

Bottom right from Razzouk Tattoo

Jewellery made from coins/stamped metal

Temple rings (Would love to wear these, even though I'm a man)

Leather boots in this style

Shadows made it look like ohaguro

Kay x Ne Plus Ultra