Japanese Blue and Green #4 'Ao' in the Kojiki (Part 3)

Japanese Blue and Green #4

In the previous article, we introduced the mythical 'Ao.'
This time, we will look at the subsequent 'Ao' that appears in the Kojiki.
Next comes the Imperial Chronicles, where 'Ao' appears as follows:

● The Chronicles of Emperor Jinmu... 青雲之白肩津
● The Chronicles of Emperor Suinin... 青葉山
● The Song of Yamato Takeru... 青垣
● The Chronicles of Emperor Ojin... 竹葉青
● The Chronicles of Emperor Nintoku... 青摺衣,青菜,あをによし
● The Chronicles of Emperor Yuryaku... 青摺衣

◆ 青雲之白肩津 (Aokumo-no-Shirakata-no-tsu)

Shirakata-no-tsu is a place name. It was the landing site in the Kinki region during Jinmu's Eastern Expedition (located in present-day Kusaka-cho, Higashiosaka City).

(While the Kojiki records the pre-enthronement Emperor Jinmu as "Kamu-yamato-iware-hiko-no-mikoto," for convenience we will refer to him here as "Iwarebiko")

After landing, Iwarebiko and his forces fought a prolonged and widespread battle against Nagasunehiko. However, upon achieving victory, Iwarebiko became Emperor Jinmu, ascending to the throne. This is recorded as taking place in 660 B.C.

While Kusaka-cho in Higashiosaka City is more than 20km from Osaka Port, we know that during the early Jomon period, as the ice age was ending and warming began, sea levels elevated, and the sea reached deep into what is now the Kawachi Plain.

This bay was called Kawachi Bay, but by the middle Jomon period, the sea began to recede, and rivers carried sediment that gradually filled in Kawachi Bay. The bay's entrance became increasingly narrow, and by the Yayoi period, the entrance was completely blocked, turning it into a lake. This lake became known as Lake Kawachi.

Circa 5,500 Years Ago	Circa 2,000 Years Ago

This area around Lake Kawachi has yielded numerous archaeological sites, and it is believed that the formation of this lake led to a significant population increase. We know that fishing was flourishing here.

Later, when Emperor Nintoku ascended to the throne, he relocated the capital (Naniwa Takatsunomiya) to this area and made great efforts in flood control. As a result, this region prospered even further. This historical background laid the foundation for Osaka's development.

Shirakata-no-tsu is on the eastern shore of Lake Kawachi.
When overlaid with present-day Kusaka-cho, this is how it looks.

It seems that "Aokumo" (青雲) is a "makurakotoba" (pillow word) for the 'shira' (white) in Shirakata-no-tsu, and while it may not have specific meaning, it's interesting that 'Ao' clouds appear in contrast to "white."

"青雲(Seiun)" is famous as a brand of incense, but upon research, I found these meanings:
A. Clouds tinged with 'Ao'; also, a clear, high sky; the blue sky
B. A metaphor for high social status and scholarly virtue
C. A metaphor for transcending worldly matters and maintaining detachment

There is also the expression "Seiun no kokorozashi" (青雲の志):
Ambition for Seiun: The aspiration to achieve fame and success in life.
This expression comes from Wang Bo (王勃), a Tang Dynasty poet from the mid-7th century, where "seiun" literally means "Blue/green clouds floating in the sky."

Meaning B clearly derives from "Seiun no kokorozashi."
Meaning C might be a derivative of B, or it might come from the Jinmu Eastern Expedition. The question is about meaning A, the "clouds tinged with 'Ao'" - what color would this actually be?

"Aokumo" (青雲), if translated, would mean either "'Ao' clouds" or "clouds floating in the 'Ao' sky" as mentioned in meaning A above. In the case of the former, since it emerged in contrast to white, we can consider it to be a grayish color - precisely the 'Ao' of "baku" (漠).

The figure above is one we used in the first article. Since this 'Ao' is determined by high and low brightness levels rather than hue, I deliberately used a red-based figure. You can see the contrast between white and 'Ao.'

As for the latter meaning of "clouds floating in the 'Ao' sky," where this 'Ao' would refer to the sky itself, I found a theory suggesting that "Aokumo" refers to "clouds floating in the 'Ao' sky visible for a brief time after sunset," and that Iwarebiko's party might have arrived during sunset hours. While meaning A includes "blue sky," researchers seem to believe it unlikely that 'Ao' refers to the color of the blue sky.

After all, whether it refers to the color of the clouds or the sky, the 'Ao' in "Aokumo" seems to be closer to the grayish image of Vague (漠).



While meaning A stated "clouds tinged with 'Ao'," even if Ō no Yasumaro had known the expression "Ambition for Seiun," I would like to think that he imagined not the color blue but rather the color of Vague (漠).

◆紅紐つけし青摺衣(Garment with 'Aozuri', graced with Beni cords)

The "Garment with 'Aozuri', graced with Beni cords" was ceremonial attire worn by imperial retainers, appearing in both the tales of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Yuryaku.

In the Nintoku chronicle, there is a description of rain causing the 'Ao' portion of the garment to bleed and turn 'Kurenai' (crimson), indicating that the cords were dyed with this red pigment.

The text specifically states it "turned Kurenai (crimson)" rather than "turned Aka (red)," and 'Kurenai' is definitely being used as a specific color name here. It's possible that it was read as 'Aka.'

The Kojiki mentions three different types of red: 'Aka', 'Ni', and 'Kurenai.'
Since there seems to be various factors to consider here, I will examine 'Aka' in my next post.

'Aozuri' refers to the technique of rubbing patterns in blue using leaves of Persicaria tinctoria (mountain-grown dye plant), but dyeing with only the leaves reportedly results in only green colors, as they do not contain blue pigments.
There are no records of the exact Aozuri dyeing techniques, and while we don't know the precise colors used at that time, it is known that the stems and roots of Persicaria tinctoria do contain blue components. This makes it even more difficult to determine the exact nature of the colors used.

However, the color name 'Yamaaizuri' (from Persicaria tinctoria dyeing) still exists today. While there isn't a standardized shade, they all tend to be these kinds of grayish colors.

I'll try matching it with the color 'Nakakurenai,' which is the most subdued of all the colors that contain the character 'Kurenai.'


That's cool.
It feels solemn.

Subsequently, Garments with 'Aozuri' came to be used in festivals and Shinto ceremonies, and they can still be seen today in various ritual occasions.

The image below shows a scene from "Azuma-asobi," a ritual song and dance performance conducted during the January 11th 'Mike' (Divine Food Offering) at Ise Jingu. Here we can clearly see the "Garment with 'Aozuri', graced with Beni cords."


(Photo courtesy of Jingu Administration Office)

Though it may be due to the lighting conditions, the Aozuri portion appears closer to an ordinary green rather than the previously mentioned grayish color of yamaaizuri. This suggests that only the leaf components of Persicaria tinctoria were used in the dyeing process.

According to the Kojiki, the Emperor Nintoku reigned from 394 to 427, and the Emperor Yuryaku reigned from 456 to 479. This means that this color 'Ao' dates back approximately 1,600 years.

◆ あをによし(Aoniyoshi)

The term "aoniyoshi" is famous as a makura-kotoba (pillow word) associated with the word "Nara." The term is typically written in kanji as 青丹よし (aoniyoshi), and there are two predominant theories regarding its meaning:

1. "Aoni" refers to Malachite (CuCO₃·Cu(OH)₂), a copper carbonate mineral, for which Nara was a famous production site.
   
   
2. The term describes how the 'Ao' (green) of trees beautifully contrasts with the 'Ni' (a type of 'Aka'/red) painted buildings of Heijo-kyo (the ancient capital of Nara).

However, considering the context of the Kojiki, the second interpretation, which would disrupt the chronological sequence, would likely have been inappropriate for use in this text (refer to "蒲黄/Hoou - Cattail Pollen" in the previous article). Therefore, I support the malachite interpretation.
In this case, I am referring to this pure green color.

Malachite

However, there still exists a color called 'Aoni' (青丹).
It was originally written as "aotuti" (青土, meaning "blue soil") and pronounced as "aoni," and it appears as this particular color.


It has the appearance of a grayish green.

◆ Other 'Ao'

In the Chronicles of Emperor Suinin, we find "Aoba" ('Ao' leaves/green leaves); in the Chronicles of Emperor Ojin, there appears a metaphor describing "bamboo leaves being 'Ao'." Additionally, in the Chronicle of Emperor Nintoku, the term "Aona" appears, referring to vegetables just as it does today. In all these cases, 'Ao' is used to describe the chlorophyll-based green of leaves.

The famous poem by Yamato Takeru (Prince Yamatotakeru) is particularly well-known: "Yamato wa kuni no mahoroba tatanazuku Aokaki yamagomoreru yamato shi uruwashi"
(大和は国のまほろば たたなづく 青垣 山隠れる 倭し麗し)

This "Aokaki" indicates the same mountains as those introduced in the previous article, and this poem means "Yamato is the finest place in all the land. Yamato, surrounded by layer upon layer of mountain ranges like fences, is truly beautiful and magnificent."

On his way back after subjugating the Emishi (eastern tribes), Yamato Takeru attempted to defeat the Kami of Mount Ibuki. However, he incurred the Kami's wrath and wandered the mountains wounded. He eventually reached a place called Nobono (in present-day Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture) where he composed the above poem, exhausted in both body and spirit, and later passed away at this location.

The Nobono Otsuka Tomb, which has been officially designated by the Imperial Household Agency as the tomb of Yamato Takeru, is the largest keyhole-shaped burial mound in Mie Prefecture. There are many other related historical sites in the area, and because it is also known as the birthplace of Ototachibana-hime, who was Yamato Takeru's consort, this area is widely known as a place where the Yamato Takeru legends have been passed down.

Nobono Otsuka Tomb

Nobono Jinja

Summary

We have now examined all instances of 'Ao' in the Kojiki, and we found that it primarily referred to the green of plants. We also encountered the 'Ao' derived from Vague (漠). The 'Ao' in Aokumo (青雲) likely represented a grayish color.

To summarize the usage of 'Ao' in the Kojiki, we can conclude that:

'Ao' = greenish colors (ranging from blue to green) + grayish undertones

As briefly mentioned above, in the next discussion, I will change pace and examine the red-based colors that appear in the Kojiki.
Stay tuned.