Purple

Japanese: 紫 - むらさき

[1] [Noun] ① A perennial plant of the family Violaceae. It grows in mountainous areas in various places. The roots are thick and purple, and the stems are 30 to 50 centimeters tall. The plant is densely covered with bristles. The leaves are lanceolate and thick. In summer, small white funnel-shaped flowers with five lobes at the end bloom among the bracts. The fruits are oval and ripen to a light brown color. The roots have long been used as an important purple dye, and in traditional Chinese medicine they are used as an antipyretic and antidote to skin diseases. In particular, ointments made with safflower root and angelica are effective against burns, frostbite, cracks, and chapped skin. The Chinese name for this plant is Shiso, but it is actually a different name. Minashigusa. Season: Spring-Summer ※Man'yoshu (late 8th century) 14.3500 " Murasaki is the root of a man's child, whose love is so great that he cannot sleep." ※Kokinshu (905-914), Zatsujo "Because of the purple, I look at the grass of Musashino and feel its pity. ( Author unknown)" ② A color dyed with the roots of the purple plant. A color between red and blue. Purple. Also paper and cloth of that color. ※Man'yoshu (late 8th century) 12.2976 "The purple of my undergarments does not come out, and my love will grow thin. I will have no chance to meet them." ③ A court word referring to sardines. ※Ojoro Onna no Koto (possibly before the 16th century) "Ihashi. Purple. Ohoso too. Kinukazuki tomo" ④ Refers to a woman. [Nippo Jisho (1603-04)] ⑤ (from its purple color) refers to soy sauce. ※Tokyo Fuzokushi (1899-1902) (by Hiraide Kenjiro) "Especially through beef shops and the like, raw meat , five parts green onion, purple soy sauce, and half a pinch of mirin are called warishita , and the pickles are called shinko." ⑥ (from the fact that they were allowed to wear purple robes ) refers to the rank of blind person, Kengyo . ※Zappai, Yuki no Kasa (1704) "Murasaki wa kamiminuwashi no zatōkan" [2] [1] (from "Edo Murasaki" ) refers to Edo. ※Miscellaneous haiku, Yanagi Taru-13 (1778) "Ageyacho, covered in purple and kanoko" [2] Murasaki Shikibu (Murasaki Shikibu) is the author. ※Miscellaneous haiku, Yanagi Taru-4 (1769) "Murasaki was a woman who lived even on the stone" [3] The Tale of Genji is the author. ※Miscellaneous haiku, Yanagi Taru-13 (1778) "A monk takes a rest in purple" [Etymology] (1) From ancient times to the Middle Ages, the color of (1)② was a dull reddish-black. Therefore, the later bright purple is sometimes called Edo purple or Kyoto purple, and the older color is sometimes called ancient purple to distinguish them.
(2) The dyeing method used the lye from trees such as camellia as a mordant and extracted purple liquid from the roots of the purplish brown plant. This can be seen in the "Manyo-3101" which begins with the line "Murasaki wa ash sashimono so" (Purple is made from ash) when describing the singing festival of Tsubaiichi ( = Camellia City).
(3) In ancient times, the "Courtesy of Clothing" stated that deep purple was the first-ranked color, and light purple was the second- or third-ranked color, and both were respected. In the Heian period, deep purple was considered one of the forbidden colors and was regarded as a noble color, while light purple became a "permissible color" and was widely loved. In "The Pillow Book - Chapter 88," it is written, "Anything that is purple is auspicious."
(4)(1) Example ① Expressions such as “purple connection” and “grass connection” were born due to the influence of poems in the Kokinshu.

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

[1] 〘名〙① ムラサキ科の多年草。各地の山地に生える。根は太く紫色をし、茎は高さ三〇～五〇センチメートル。全体に剛毛を密布。葉は披針形で厚い。夏、包葉の間に先の五裂した白い小さな漏斗状花が咲く。果実は卵円形で淡褐色に熟す。昔から根は紫色の重要な染料とされ、また漢方で解熱・解毒剤とし、皮膚病などに用い、特に、紫根と当帰を主薬とした軟膏は火傷、凍傷、ひび、あかぎれに効く。漢名に紫草をあてるが、正しくは別種の名。みなしぐさ。《季・春‐夏》※万葉（８Ｃ後）一四・三五〇〇「牟良佐伎(ムラサキ)は根をかもをふる人の児のうら愛(がな)しけを寝ををへなくに」※古今（905‐914）雑上「紫のひともと故にむさし野の草はみながらあはれとぞ見る〈よみ人しらず〉」② 紫草の根で染めた色。赤と青との間色。紫色。また、その色の紙や布。※万葉（８Ｃ後）一二・二九七六「紫(むらさき)の我が下紐の色に出でず恋ひかも痩せむ逢ふよしを無み」③ 鰯(いわし)をいう、女房詞。※大上臈御名之事（１６Ｃ前か）「いはし。むらさき。おほそとも。きぬかづき共」④ 女をいう。〔日葡辞書（1603‐04）〕⑤ (色が紫色であるところから) 醤油(しょうゆ)をいう。※東京風俗志（1899‐1902）〈平出鏗二郎〉中「特に牛肉店等の如きを通じて、肉を生(なま)、葱を五分(ごぶ)、醤油を紫(ムラサキ)、これに半、味淋を加へたるを割下、香の物を『しんこ』といふ」⑥ (紫衣(しい)を許されていたところから) 盲人の位、検校(けんぎょう)をいう。※雑俳・雪の笠（1704）「むらさきは上みぬわしのざとう官」[2][一] (「江戸紫(えどむらさき)」から) 江戸をいう。※雑俳・柳多留‐一三（1778）「むらさきと鹿の子をしきる揚屋町」[二] 紫式部(むらさきしきぶ)をいう。※雑俳・柳多留‐四（1769）「紫は石のうへにも居た女」[三] 「源氏物語」をいう。※雑俳・柳多留‐一三（1778）「紫の中へ出家が一やすみ」[語誌](1)古代から中世へかけて、(一)②の色調は赤黒くくすんでいた。そのため、のちの明るい紫を江戸紫・京紫などと呼び、古い色調を古代紫と呼んで区別することがある。
(2)染め方は、椿などの木の灰汁(あく)を媒染剤とし、紫草の根から紫液を採って染色した。それは「万葉‐三一〇一」で、海石榴市(つばいち)（=椿市）の歌垣を描くのに「紫は灰さすものそ」と歌い出していることでもわかる。
(3)上代から「衣服令」に、深紫は一位、浅紫は二、三位の当色とされ尊重された。平安時代には、深紫が禁色の一つとされ、高貴な色としての扱いが定着する一方で、浅紫は「ゆるし色」となって広く愛好された。「枕草子‐八八」には「なにもなにもむらさきなるものはめでたくこそあれ」とある。
(4)(一)①の挙例「古今集」の歌の影響で、「紫のゆかり」「草のゆかり」などの表現が生まれた。

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