The color of the mystical world, a miraculous plant for health and protection (and edible!).
There is a color known as Samurai Blue (侍青), Indigo, or the color of love.
Foreigners visiting Japan during the Meiji period coined another name for it: Japan blue. It still shapes the Japanese aesthetic perception nowadays. The most fascinating part lies in its properties!
Indigo symbolizes
- Profound insight
- Personal thought
- Wisdom
- The mystical world
- In Kabuki theater, blue (in general) indicates evil carachters
Why is this color known ad “Japan Blue”?
Indigo had a global appeal: this color was popular in ancient Rome, Greece, India, China and Japan.
In old times, Japanese commoners were forbidden to wear bright colors and people used to wear grey or blue kimono since indigo was the most available colorant extracted from some particular plants mainly in Tokushima and Kagawa areas.
During the Meiji period, all this blue made an impression on foreigners who coined the expression.
READ – Murasaki (紫): the forbidden color
Indigo today
Today the color is still used in a lot of items such as kimonos, towels, Noren curtains, blue jeans. Indigo clothing and blankets are still a traditional gift for newborn babies because it’s believed that the natural dye will protect the child from illness.
Why is this color known as “Color of Love”?
The reason is a word pun: the color was called ai iro (藍色 • あいいろ) where “ai” 藍 stands for “indigo” and “iro” 色 is “color”. But “ai” is also the pronunciation of the kanji 愛 that means “love”.
Why is this color known as “Samurai Blue”?
The name comes from the Samurai habit of wearing indigo garments beneath the armors… and the reason goes far beyond a mere kind of auspicious. Samurai were very practical people! The first scope of wearing indigo clothes was to prevent wound infections but the benefits were so much more.
Benefits of natural indigo dying (Aizome)
Aizome (藍染 • あいぞめ) is the traditional art of dyeing clothing with Japanese Indigo (plants also known as Indigo Naturalis, Indigofera tinctoria, Ísatis tinctória). In addition to a wonderful and vibrant color, this process granted an incredible amount of benefits:
• Strengthened fibers of the fabric
• Insects and snakes repelling effect
• UV protective effect
• Anti-inflammatory properties that help wounds and injuries to heal
• Provides skin relief for people suffering from eczemas
• It’s an odor-preventing dye
• Flame retardant properties
Indigo and Firefighters
Because of the flame retardant properties of natural indigo dying, aizome cotton clothing was favored by firefighters to protect themselves against burns for a long time.
DO YOU KNOW?
The traditional outfit of Japanese firefighters can be seen today during dezome shiki (出初式).
Dezome Shiki is a festival that takes place in Tokyo once a year – in January – since 1659 (Edo period).
GO TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE (partially in ENG)
Edible Indigo
The antibacterial properties of Indigo are used since ancient times to fight colds. Superfood indigo is extracted by roots, flowers and seeds of the plant and is consumed raw powdered on foods, in teas or salts. To discover more, check AIKANE website.
Where to buy Japanese Indigo Items (in Japan & Online)?
- ONLINE – SKINCARE: a ritual set for sensitive skins by TATCHA . This brand uses indigo plant’s extract to comfort and calm irritate, delicate skin of body and face.
- ONLINE – Indigo SCARVES in cotton and eco-friendly available at JAPAN OBJECT STORE and NOREN CURTAINS (https://shop.japanobjects.com/collections/indigo-dye-noren).No shipping costs.
- ONLINE – BEDDING from AIZOME BEDDING brand. Why is special? It’s the only company using plant-based indigo for dye bed linen.
- ONLINE & JAPAN (DAIKANYAMA) – Elegant or traditional indigo CLOTHING can be found in physical OKURA shop and, luckily, even bought online!
- ONLINE & JAPAN (TOKUSHIMA, KAMIITA-CHO) – BUAISOU provides clothes, ceramics and many other indigo items online and in the physical store. Visit it!
- JAPAN (TOKUSHIMA) – SOAP: handmade Aizome Sekken, the antibacerial foundation for a healthy skin. Visit their facebook page.
- JAPAN (KOJIMA, OKAYAMA) – DENIM JEANS: Kojima is a well known manufacturers of denim jeans in the world. If you’re planning to visit the city, don’t miss a whole street dedicated to jeans and called “Kojima Jeans Street”.
- JAPAN (KYOTO) – AIZENKOBO INDIGO PLACE is a place where experiment indigo dying and buy some items. If you’re in the city, give it a try!
- JAPAN (TOKYO, HARAJUKU & KOJIMA) – Outlet PURE BLUE JAPAN with a lot of indigo items. To make an idea about the products, visit their nice website!
From ‘AI’ (藍) to ‘AO’ (青)
It is said that the color Indigo or ai (藍● あい) has eventually morphed into the word for blue: ao. The color ao (青 ● あお) has a long story. In ancient times it was used to indicate cold shades of blue, green, violet and very dark colors. The use of 青 limited to the color blue became common only after WW2.
READ – Ao, when Blue was Green and Violet
Samurai Blue in the Color Lookup Table (CLUT)
- HEX (#245a73)
- RGB (36,90,115)
Jangrish (Japanere + English) term for blue
ブルー • buruu
Perceived as trendy and cool, English color names are often used in Japan by younger generations, in fashion and for marketing purposes. They’re becoming as popular and frequent as the traditional names (that I’d suggest using when describing something related to a traditional context).
Samurai Blue in 2006: a new meaning
The Japan Football Association (JFA) coined the catchphrase “Samurai Blue” through a poll, to support the Japanese team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
They mixed the symbolism of blue 青 (that is also the color of the national team shirt) with the values of samurai 侍 to spread a message of fair play, a strong desire for victory, battling with pride.
Do you know any additional facts related to Samurai Blue ● 侍青?
Please, share with us in the comment section below!
