The Study of Material Culture in the Perspective of Folklore Studies——Folklore of the Teeth-cleaning Twig(Shiboku)and Poplar Branches(Yōji)in Japan as an Example
The Study of Material Culture in the Perspective of Folklore Studies——Folklore of the Teeth-cleaning Twig(Shiboku)and Poplar Branches(Yōji)in Japan as an Example
Teeth-cleaning twig(Shiboku),also known as poplar branches(Yōji),is an important dental cleanser in the daily lives of people in some areas,and is also a religious tool closely related to Buddhism.Buddhism and Buddhist culture played an important role in the spread of toothpaste and oral hygiene methods from India to Japan via China and the Korean Peninsula.However,the fact that the use of toothpick is widespread from Africa to East Asia reveals that there was a universal common need,in addition to religious factors,that underlay the acceptance of this foreign material culture by local societies.
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