■Cosmetics through the ages; beauty is only skin deep：
It is said that Chinese-style face powder made from lead first began appearing in Japan during the reign of Empress Jito (645-702) toward the end of the Asuka Period.
The following entry appears in "Nihon Shoki" (The Chronicles of Japan), a book of classical Japanese history compiled during the Nara Period (710-784): “(The empress) praised the lead powder.” According to the book, the empress was delighted with the face powder that was presented to her by a monk.
