Japanese Blue and Green #10 'Aka' in the Kojiki (Part 4)

Japanese Blue and Green #10

This time, we will examine 丹(Ni) in the Kojiki. There are three types of the character "丹(Ni)" that are related to color. Let's look at them in chronological order.

◆ 丹塗矢 (Ninuriya: Arrow painted with 丹(Ni))

First, in the chronicle of Emperor Jinmu, the expression "丹塗矢" appears in the story of the birth of the first empress. The outline of this story is as follows:

This is the first appearance of "Ni-nuri(丹塗り)." We don't know if it means the standard "Ni-nuri(丹塗り)" as we think of it today.

破魔矢(Hamaya)

(Image from the official website of Nanasha Jinja)

When we hear of 丹塗矢(Ninuriya), we might think of the red "Hamaya (ritual arrow charm from shrines)" arrows, but since these red arrows are for "warding off evil spirits," the meaning seems slightly different.

Nevertheless, the original "Ni-nuri(丹塗り)" likely had strong magical connotations. In this scene, there also seems to be an aspect of displaying status and authority.

For this "丹," we can consider bengala (red iron oxide) or pigment of mercuric red, which have been used in magical practices since ancient times. While there are many colors that use red soil as pigment, besides bengala, there is also the color '赭'(Soho). Additionally, the term "真赭(masoo, masoho)" refers to cinnabar. '真赭'(Masoho) is established as the color of cinnabar itself rather than '真朱'(Shinshu), which aligns with our current theme.

To summarize, the color of this 丹塗矢(Ninuriya) can be narrowed down to the following:

The impression is somewhat different from "Hamaya." Since creating a pure, unmixed red color would have been difficult in ancient times, we are left with this kind of estimation.

It should be noted that most people who introduce this story also include the "Legend of Kamo from the Fudoki of Yamashiro." The content is very similar, and 丹塗矢(Ninuriya) also appears in it, so I have introduced it on a separate page. Please try comparing them.

◆ 丹摺袖 (Sleeve with 'Nizuri')

The expression "sleeve with Nizuri" appears in the chronicle of Emperor Yūryaku. Emperor Yūryaku reigned in the 5th century.

In Japanese literature, there is an expression "to wet one's sleeve" which refers to crying, but in this case, Akaiko is wetting her "sleeve with Nizuri." When researched, the term "丹摺袖(Nizurisode)" appears only in this text. This can be considered an example that demonstrates Hieda no Are's literary sensibility.

Looking up "Nizuri" in the dictionary, we find an explanation: "an ancient dyeing method where patterns are applied by rubbing with red clay or madder."

If madder were used, it should be called "Akane-zuri," but the fact that it is called "Ni-zuri" means that the '丹'(Ni) has definitely changed into the name of color.
I do not know when this change occurred, but the Kojiki does contain the expression "Garment with 'Aozuri'," so for now I will consider '丹'(Ni) of "丹摺袖(Nizurisode)" to be the name of a color.

Akane (madder)	madder red
	#b7282d

(Image provided by 庭木図鑑植木ペディア)

The name Akane comes from "Aka(red) Ne(root)."
When madder root is thoroughly dried it turns reddish yellow, and when boiled it produces a red dye called alizarin.

Silk dyed with madder has been found at the Yoshinogari ruins (Yayoi archaeological site in Saga Prefecture).
In addition, the Gishiwajinden records that Himiko presented silk dyed with madder to the King of Wei.
The fact that this dyeing technique was established early on means that it may also have been madder dyeing.

Items dyed with earth Pigments or madder look something like this.

Yellow clay (top) and bengala (bottom)	Both are madder

First of all, whether the entire cloth is dyed or not, and most certainly "Nizuri" is the process of creating a pattern.
"Aozuri" on Garment with 'Aozuri' was also a pattern.

Madder dyeing is said to be very time-consuming, but it shouldn't be a problem if you are only dyeing parts of the fabric. A vibrant color would suit this occasion better, so madder is a must.
However, cinnabar, the original "丹(Ni)", is extremely rare, so it is unlikely that it would have been used for items by ordinary people, so we will eliminate it as a candidate.

This suggests that some kind of pattern was painted with bengala or madder.
I don't know what kind of pattern Ō no Yasumaro had in mind, but I think the colors were something like these.

Bengala	Bengala	madder
(Source: here)	(Source: here)	(Source: here)

◆ The handle of the sword is rubbed with "丹(Ni)"

The third "丹(Ni)" appears in this story from the time of Emperor Seinei (son of Emperor Yuryaku).

The content of the recitation was about his father, a warrior, serving in the Imperial Army.
There is a passage that says that he rubbed with "丹(Ni)" on the hilt of his sword and attached a red flag to a string before hoisting it up.

This is a very difficult sentence to understand, but what does "丹(Ni)" mean?

The red flag represents the Imperial Army.
In this way, hoisting the red flag with the decorated sword was a demonstration of the power and status of the Imperial Army.

It is very difficult to say for sure, as some modern translations interpret this "丹(Ni)" as the name of a color, but I still think it is highly likely that 辰砂(cinnabar) was rubbed onto the hilt of the sword. Using the rare cinnabar would be a show of power, and considering the color balance with the red flag and the situation, it cannot have been ordinary earth.

There has been a custom of rubbing it on the body since ancient times, so I think cinnabar is a perfect fit for the expression "rubbing." There may have been a ritual of rubbing bright cinnabar onto the hilt of a sword before going out to battle, as a prayer for victory.

'真赭'(Masoho) introduced earlier is too pale and doesn't suit this scene, so I'll stick with '真朱'(Shinshu) here.

◆ The Shield of Sumisaka Jinja

Finally, let's take another look at the "red shields eight pieces and red spears eight poles" of Sumisaka Jinja, which we introduced previously (article here).

I can't see the spear very well so it's hard to say, but I think the shield is painted with 本朱(Honshu/ pigment of mercuric red).
It also has the perfect meaning as a talisman.
It appears that it has been painted in 本朱(Honshu) for quite some time now.


From Sumisaka Jinja Facebook

As I mentioned in 'Aka' in the Kojiki (Part 2), the fine sparkle only occurred when I applied it with 真朱(Shinshu=true Shu).
A similar glow can be seen at shrines and other places, so it should often be possible to tell whether a product contains a certain amount of natural cinnabar pigment.

Summary

This time, I've completed the entire introduction 'Aka' in the Kojiki.
Overall, it was quite difficult.

"丹(Ni)" was particularly complex, but whether we can even call the "丹" in the Kojiki a color name is debatable.

However, regarding "Nizuri", since Hieda no Are, who spoke of "Garment with Aozuri" (blue-dyed garment), also mentioned "Sleeve with Nizuri," I determined that this "丹(Ni)" was being used as a color name.

This time, we chose madder and bengala for the "Sleeve with Nizuri" pattern, but if "丹(Ni)" was not a color name, the only possibilities would be the colors of earth and cinnabar.



I'll return to 'Ao' from the next time, resuming from the Asuka period.
Stay tuned.