楊枝店の登場　The toothpick shops were opened.

江戸の寛永期(1624~1643）に板の上に楊枝を並べて売る楊枝店が出来始めました。それが次第に店舗を構えるようになり、店先で作って販売するようになりました。ヤナギの木の端を煮て柔らかくして、木槌で叩いて房状にしたのが房ようじでこれが歯ブラシの初めです。房ようじで口を清潔に保つことが粋になり庶民に広がりました。江戸は浅草寺の境内、京都は四条通り、大阪は道頓堀が有名になりました。歯ブラシの毛の硬い、柔らかいのがあるのと同じで、自分に合う房ようじを頼んで作ってもらいました。その様子が（浮世絵に）描かれています。



In Edo period (1624~1643) some toothpick shops appered selling them on wooden boards in streets. Gradually they builded stores and made and sold them. The craftmen boiled the top of a peace of poplar treeto make it soft and stuck it by wooden hammer to form brush like.

It is the origin of toothbrush. The custom to maintain their mouth clean had become stylish and spread among common people.

The shops in Sensouji in Edo, Shijyou street in Kyoto and Doutonbori in Osaka were very famous. They ordered their own softness of brush as custom made as same as the filament of toothbrush today.

The pantings show the scenery of the toothpick shops.