Yamauba Blackening her Teeth, with Kintarō

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Utamaro designed numerous prints featuring Yamauba, a legendary woman who lived in the mountains and raised the rambunctious boy Kintarō, who went on to become a storied warrior. Here, Kintarō clings to Yamauba’s back and sticks out his tongue at his reflection in the mirror she uses to blacken her teeth. This beauty regimen, associated since ancient times with aristocratic women, was widely practiced among Edo-period social classes.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art