Yellow dyeing

The name of a dye. It is a yellowish brown color used for the robes worn by the emperor. It was introduced from the Tang Dynasty in China and is said to have imitated the orange-hued color symbolizing the color of the sun as the color of royal clothing. It was a forbidden color and was not permitted to be used by anyone else. The first time the name ochre dye was found in a document was in the Nihon Koki, an edict of Emperor Saga in January of the 11th year of the Kōnin era (820) in which he wrote, "Genshō received the court's formal robes in twelve chapters, and received the court's formal robes in twelve chapters on the first day of the month, and received the court's formal robes in four large and small ceremonies on the first day of the month." According to the Engishiki, it was dyed with haze and sappan, and it states, "One piece of yellow lacquer silk, 14 jin of haze, 11 jin of sappan, two sho of vinegar, three koku of ash, and eight loads of firewood." The following passage, "One piece of silk, 15 jin of sappan, one sho of vinegar, one koku of ash, and four loads of firewood," describes the purple dyeing of the lining of the yellow lacquer-dyed imperial robe, not that it was dyed yellow with sappan. Generally, the outer and lining of an imperial robe are the same color, but historically, the lining of the yellow lacquer-dyed imperial robe was made purple or indigo blue only.

[Takada Yamato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

染色の名。黄がかった茶色で、天皇が用いる束帯(そくたい)の袍(ほう)地に染められる。中国・唐より伝えられ、帝王の服色として太陽の色を象徴する赭黄(しゃおう)に倣ったものといわれる。これは禁色(きんじき)で、他の者の使用は許されなかった。黄櫨染の名が文献にみられる最初は、『日本後紀』嵯峨(さが)天皇の弘仁(こうにん)11年（820）正月の詔にある「元正受朝則用袞冕十二章、朔日受朝大小諸会則用黄櫨染衣」である。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』によると、櫨(はぜ)と蘇芳(すおう)によって染められ、「黄櫨綾一疋。櫨十四斤。蘇芳十一斤。酢二升。灰三斛。薪八荷」とある。なお続いて「帛一疋。紫草十五斤。酢一升。灰一斛。薪四荷」とあるのは、黄櫨染御袍の裏地の紫染めについて記したものであって、紫草で黄櫨染をしたわけではない。一般に位袍は表地、裏地とも同色であるが、黄櫨染御袍に限って裏地を紫や二藍(ふたあい)色とするのが故実である。

［高田倭男］

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