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From talismans to decorative earrings
The word "piercing" originally means to pierce. The history of piercing is very old, dating back to the ancient Indus and Egyptian civilizations of India and Egypt.
Earrings are often thought of as accessories worn by girls to decorate their outfits, but their origins appear to be as a talisman to protect oneself from evil.
In ancient primitive beliefs, it was believed that illnesses and other illnesses in humans were the work of demons, and holes in the human body were thought to be places through which demons could enter from the outside world.
For this reason, people wore shiny objects in their ears to ward off evil spirits that lived in the darkness. To protect these parts, piercings were used to protect pierced parts of the body, such as the nose and ears.
Even today, in some countries and cultures, it is customary for babies, especially girls, to have their ears pierced shortly after birth.
Children are particularly vulnerable, so the tradition of wearing earrings to keep evil spirits out has probably been passed down to the present day.
At that time, metalworking technology was becoming more advanced, and metal earrings with loops became popular.
In ancient India, ring-shaped ear ornaments were common. These ring-shaped ornaments were attached to holes in the earlobe, and are said to be the precursor to modern earrings. It also seems that ornaments were used to distinguish tribes.
In ancient Rome, piercings were used for practical purposes as well as decoration, such as men's nipples being pierced to fasten cloaks and capes to their bodies.
The custom of piercing existed in Japan during the Jomon period, meaning that it had already been introduced at this time.
Piercings as fashion
Earrings became popular as a talisman, but the custom of wearing earrings gradually fell out of use.
In Japan, the number of people wearing them is gradually increasing, especially among young people, but until just 20 years ago, there was still social resentment against them.
This was probably because it went against the teachings of major religions such as Christianity and Buddhism. After World War II, the development of transportation made it easier to travel around the world, and as the amount of information in developing countries increased, earrings were revived as a "fashion" among Western countries. The culture is now spreading among developed Asian countries that have developed using Western countries as their model.