Japanese Blue and Green #8 'Aka' in the Kojiki (Part 2)

Japanese Blue and Green #8

Although episodes #6 and #7 were about fish, let's return to the story of the 'Aka.'
In 'Aka' in the Kojiki (Part 1), we introduced the colors 赤(red) and 紅(crimson), and from this point on we will look at the color 丹(Ni).

The color 丹(Ni) has such a complex evolution in its conceptual understanding that simply identifying it as a shade of red is not sufficient. Through examining the pigment materials, I have gained some insight into the nature of 'Ni,' so I will begin by presenting those findings.

◆What is 丹(Ni)?

In ancient times, 丹(Ni) meant soil. While soil is considered one of the ancient red pigments, the 埴(hani) in 埴輪(haniwa) is synonymous with 丹(Ni). In other words, 丹(Ni) = 埴(hani) = soil, and therefore red soil was originally called "akahani."

Perhaps due to the abundance of red soil in the Kinki region, the reading "aka" was eventually added to 丹(Ni), and it finally became both a pigment name and a color name.

◆Soil Itself? Or a Word That Modifies Soil?

丹土(Nido)

丹土(Nido), which is soil that becomes red pigment, is also read as "nitsuchi" or "tando." The Japanese people discovered red minerals in the soil and applied them to their faces for prayer, divination, magic rituals, and decoration. It is said that this is the origin of the Japanese word "ganryou" (pigment).

If 丹(Ni) in 丹土(Nido) is a word that modifies the word "土(soil)," it may have already meant "red." In that case, 丹土(Nido) would simply refer to red soil.

Red clay has also been used to create patterns on pottery and clothing, and its redness varies depending on the iron oxide content.

A prime example of 丹土(Nido) being used in painting is Byodoin Temple Phoenix Hall (Hou-ou-do). It was discovered that most areas were painted with soil containing a mixture of iron oxide and yellow ocher, and this technique was reproduced during the Heisei-era restoration.



They used Nido-bengala, made by burning yellow ocher rich in iron content. When red soil is burned, the iron oxide content increases, leading to an increasingly red color.

弁柄(bengala＝iron oxide red)
Here, let me introduce bengala, the oldest pigment in human history. It is a red soil pigment mainly composed of ferric oxide, and it is said that the name "bengala" came into use after pigments from the Bengal region of India became widespread during and after the Sengoku period.

I obtained the powder and tried applying it. Indeed, the current color of the pillars at Byodoin Phoenix Hall is bengala.

Natural Bengala	Application Results

The cave paintings of the famous Lascaux Cave are also colored with bengara.
In Japan, its use began with the painting of Jomon pottery, and during the Kofun period, walls were painted with bengara as a charm against evil spirits.

There are three types of iron oxide crystal structures, which have different colors as follows:
  Fe₂O₃: red    Fe₂O₃·H₂O: yellow    Fe₃O₄: black
Ferric oxide is red and yellow.
The impression seems to change depending on the proportion of triiron tetraoxide (magnetite).

Akanezawa's Red Rocks

As shown here, bengala exists naturally. You can somewhat see the mixture of red, yellow, and black colors. In production areas, there are zones where many such rocks are exposed, and they have long been valued as red pigments. Although these are rocks, there is nothing strange about considering bengala itself as "soil" when it is in powder form.

While there is naturally red bengala as shown here, it can also be made by burning yellow ocher as with the Nido-bengala of Byodoin Temple Phoenix Hall, and there are many methods of artificially producing ferric oxide using natural materials, such as red mud bengala and pipe-shaped bengala. This indicates just how much demand there was for red.

丹色(Niiro)
There is a word/color called 丹色(Niiro). Literally, it means "the color of 丹(Ni)" or "color of 丹(Ni)." This 丹(Ni) is likely the same as the 丹(Ni) in 丹土(Nido), which would make it mean "soil" or "red soil."

There's quite a wide range.

In definitions, it is described as "a subdued red with yellowish tones, like red soil" or "a color name representing the color of red soil, ranging from reddish gray yellow to reddish brown." While it's natural for red soil to vary in color depending on its iron oxide content, is this truly the color of soil?

There was also a description stating "a special color frequently used on pillars, beams, and torii gates of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples." This is equivalent to saying the color of "Ni-nuri(丹塗り)."

If there were material-based definitions like "the color of red soil used in △△ of the 〇〇 region," it would be easier to understand. However, looking at this range of variation, I feel that 'Niiro' is a term that was redefined in relatively recent times, based on the existence of "Ni-nuri."

In other words, 'Niiro' equals the color of "Ni-nuri", but since "Ni-nuri" comes in various colors today, it is a difficult term for color specification in the Kojiki.

◆The 丹(Ni) in "Ni-nuri(丹塗り)"

If 'Niiro' equals the color of "Ni-nuri", then what the 丹(Ni) in "Ni-nuri" means becomes important. In this study, we cannot avoid examining this.

There are various ways to describe it, but the dictionary definition of "Ni-nuri" is something like this:

• Painting with 丹(Ni) or 朱(Shu). Also, objects painted this way.
• The act of painting with 丹(Ni) or 朱(Shu). Also, such objects.
• Painting with 丹朱(Ni-Aka).

Here's the translation of the encyclopedic explanation:
Generally refers to "Shu-nuri(朱塗り)" of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, specifically the elegant surface finish of "Shu-nuri" painted torii gates, shrine buildings, and temple compounds. It symbolizes authority and acts as a charm against evil spirits, while also serving as a preservative that protects against insect damage and corrosion.

When a definition of "Ni-nuri" includes "Shu-nuri", you might wonder "what is Shu-nuri?" However, since 丹朱(Ni-Aka) means "the red of 丹(Ni)", this 丹(Ni) is basically a red coloring material, while 朱(Shu) seems to function as a color name.

Now we will examine what kinds of coloring materials, other than soil-based ones, were used for 丹(Ni).


◎鉛丹(Red Lead)
When researching the pigment 丹(Ni), we first encounter red lead (lead tetroxide: Pb₃O₄), which is produced by heating lead. Lead red is the primary form of 丹(Ni) in modern times. Depending on the context, 丹(Ni) is very often considered synonymous with lead red.

Red lead	Application Results

I obtained the pigment and tried applying it, but both the powder and the applied color were more orange than red.

鉛丹色(Red Lead Color)

 
I examined four colors that were described as red lead color, but they were almost the same as 丹色(Niiro), and their impression was completely different from the actual color when painted with red lead (lead tetroxide). While the impression might vary somewhat depending on particle size, the difference is quite significant.
What could be the reason for this?

Red lead has long been widely used in Japan in painting torii gates and other shrine and temple structures. It is the most commonly used pigment in "Ni-nuri," and because it has the property of blocking oxygen, it is also used as an anti-rust paint for structural steel in buildings.

According to records, while samples are preserved in the 正倉院(Shosoin), these were brought from the continent. Its use began around the Nara period (710-794), and the production method was reportedly introduced during the Muromachi period (1336-1573).

It is said that it is also preserved in Shosoin, but it was brought over from the continent.
Its use began around the Nara period, and the method of producing it was introduced in the Muromachi period.

Japanese lead mines existed in various locations throughout the country, which led to increased production thereafter.
It is said that production began in 1395 when a person named 鉛屋市兵衛(Ichibei Namariya) learned the manufacturing method for lead red from a Ming person. Surprisingly, this company (NI Chemitech Corporation) still exists and continues to supply lead red to temples and shrines.

◎水銀朱(pigment of mercuric red)
Pigment of mercuric red (mercury sulfide: HgS), extracted from the mineral 辰砂(Shinsha; cinnabar), is another type of 丹(Ni) that has been used as a red pigment for about 4,500 years.
There were more than 200 cinnabar mining sites in Japan.
In western Japan, they are concentrated along the Median Tectonic Line.

Originally, 丹(Ni) is a word that came from China, where 丹(Ni) equals mercuric red. The name 辰砂(Shinsha) also comes from 辰州(Chenzhou), a place name in China.

辰砂(Cinnabar)

Mercuric red made from high-quality natural cinnabar was called 真朱(Shinshu) or 本朱(Honshu), while the color made from artificially synthesized HgS was called 銀朱(Ginshu).
[Note: 真(Shin)=true, 本(Hon)=real, 銀(Gin)=silver]

In Japan, the method for producing vermilion was reportedly established by the Heian period (794-1185).

真朱(Shinshu) and 銀朱(Ginshu) both show considerable variation, but I can see that 銀朱(Ginshu) has a stronger yellow tinge, while 真朱(Shinshu) has a more subdued color.
Since it was called 'true 朱(Shu),' this means that 真朱(Shinshu) was the original 朱色(Shu-iro; color of shu).

Unlike 丹(Ni), I believe 朱(Shu) started as a color name. As these pigments came to be called 真朱(Shinshu) and 銀朱(Ginshu), the understanding of 朱(Shu) as mercuric red likely spread.

I obtained three kinds of pigments of mercuric red and tried applying them.

Type	Pigment	Application Results
Shinshu	真朱(Shinshu)	True 'Shu'
Ginshu	Kamakura-shu	Kamakura 'Shu'
Ginshu	Akakuchi-hon-shu	Red Real 'Shu'

Besides 真朱(Shinshu), I obtained 鎌倉朱(Kamakura-shu) and 赤口本朱(Akakuchi-hon-shu; Red real 'Shu'), which are artificial mercuric red pigments. Perhaps due to modern manufacturing technology, these artificial pigments produce colors quite close to 真朱(Shinshu). They must be using some method to match the 真朱(Shinshu) color.

The term 本朱(Honshu) is complex, as it appears to be used to mean 'real' in contrast to non-mercury-derived 朱色(Shu-iro; color of shu). As seen in the image of 赤口本朱(Akakuchi-hon-shu), even artificial pigments can sometimes be called '本朱(Honshu).'

While they do look similar, in reality they are completely different. It was difficult to capture in images, but only 真朱(Shinshu) has an extremely fine luminescence that gives a completely different impression. You might describe it as having 'a subtle sparkle with a matte finish.' Though it sparkles, it has a very elegant quality, which helps explain why it came to be used on sacred objects.

In natural cinnabar, the influence of substances other than HgS is quite significant.

Artificial HgS color is also called vermilion, and it's a familiar 朱色(Shu-iro; Shu-color) to Japanese oil painters. It seems that the yellow tone increases with higher sulfur content, so 銀朱(Ginshu) with higher purity has less of this tendency.

While 真朱(Shinshu) must have been Japan's original 朱色(Shu-iro), in the world of Western painting, this vermilion color is what's referred to as 朱色(Shu-iro). I think that generally, when people say 朱色(Shu-iro), they're referring to this type of color. However, I wonder how vermilion came to be called '朱色(Shu-iro)' in Japanese. This raises a new question.



The history of cinnabar is diverse. At one time, mercury was believed to be an elixir of immortality, and many people shortened their lives because of this. Many Chinese emperors, including Qin Shi Huang and various rulers of the Han and Tang dynasties, suffered from mercury poisoning. In Europe, from around the 16th century and for several hundred years after, mercury became widespread as a treatment for syphilis and other diseases. Schubert, who passed away at the young age of 31, may have shortened his life through the use of mercury. If that's the case, had such treatment methods not existed, his Symphony No. 7 might not have remained unfinished.

In Japan, there are place names and shrines with 丹生(niou, niu, nibu, nyuu) throughout the country, all of which were cinnabar mining sites. Many mercury mines are said to have been founded by 空海(Kukai, 774-835), a prominent Buddhist monk who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism, and his mountain ascetic practices at Mount Koya appear to be closely related to cinnabar. A clan called 丹生(Niu) lived at the foot of Mount Koya and prospered through mercury production.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, 真田信繁(Sanada Nobushige, 1567-1615), later known as 真田幸村(Sanada Yukimura), was exiled to Mount Koya, and later moved to Kudoyama, which served as the entrance to Mount Koya's main pilgrimage route. Many shrines in this area also bear the name 丹生(niu). He later appeared at the Siege of Osaka leading troops in red armor, and now we can see that this was close to a cinnabar mining area.

Sanada Yukimura Armor (replica)

(Provided by Ueda City Multimedia Information Center)

While this image is a replica, the color appears to be closer to 銀朱(Ginshu). It's likely that vermilion was also produced in these 丹生(nio, niu, nibu, nyuu) regions.

◆Summary

This is all for now.

We have learned that 朱(Shu) originally referred to cinnabar, and that 丹(Ni) basically meant pigment of mercuric red. However, we don't know if the 丹(Ni) used when "Ni-nuri" first emerged was this pigment. There is a good possibility that it was originally 丹土(Nido).

That said, it's unlikely that evidence for this will ever emerge, and this matter will probably never be definitively settled. Given this, and considering that it has been used for about 4,500 years, it seems reasonable to conclude that the 丹(Ni) in "Ni-nuri" was pigment made from cinnabar from the beginning.


Next time, we will look at actual examples of "Ni-nuri".
Stay tuned.