Blue flower

Japanese: 青花 - あおばな

The flower of the dayflower (called "tsukikusa" in the Manyoshu and other works). It also refers to the blue dye extracted from the flower, or to the blue-and-white paper made by absorbing the juice from the flower into washi paper. The blue color of indigo dye is called "hanairo" because of its resemblance to blue and white. "Tsukikusa-zuri" is a method of rubbing blue and white onto fabric, and has been practiced since ancient times, but it later fell out of use because it fades when wet. Blue and white paper produced near Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, is also called aibana-gami or hana-dami, and is used to draw the outlines of Yuzen and Rokechi wares, taking advantage of this property of fading.

Blue and white

Please see the "Dyeing" page.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ツユクサ (『万葉集』などでは「つきくさ」) の花。また，これからとった青い染料，もしくはその液汁を和紙に吸収させた青花紙をいう。青花に似ているところから，藍染めの青い色を花色と呼ぶ。「つきくさずり」は青花を布地にすり染めにしたもので，古くから行われたが，水に濡れると退色するため，のちにはすたれた。滋賀県草津近郊で産する青花紙は，藍花紙 (あいばながみ) ，縹紙 (はなだがみ) とも呼ばれ，この退色する性質を利用して，友禅 (ゆうぜん) や臈纈 (ろうけち) の下絵を描くのに用いられる。