What is the traditional Japanese color "Yanagi dye"?
A traditional color called yanagi dye is a slightly grayish yellow-green that resembles the color of willow leaves. Willows are deciduous trees or shrubs in the Salicaceae family, with 28 species native to Japan, and many introduced species and hybrids. During the Heian period, clothing bearing the name yanagi was popular among aristocrats, and appears in "The Tale of Utsubo" and "The Tale of Genji." However, these were willows used as a color for woven fabrics and textiles, and willow dyeing did not begin to appear until the Edo period.
Willow dye = Yanagizome
In the Edo period, kimonos became popular among samurai and townspeople alike, and dyers competed to create new colors. As a result, in addition to willow dye, green colors such as willow tea, green willow tea, and grass willow tea, as well as gray colors such as willow soot bamboo and willow gray, appeared and became widely used. "Willow dye" is pronounced "yanagizome."
DIC Traditional Japanese Colors: R145 G173 B112 #91AD70 / Willow Dye
What is “Learn about Japan’s traditional colors”?
We will also introduce beautiful traditional Japanese colors, how to read their kanji, and the background behind the colors. Let's enjoy together the Japanese sensibilities that have been passed down since ancient times.
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