#1 colors

Overview

The theme is “Iro: Colors”. In Japan, there is a color culture that enjoys the slight difference of color shading and light/dark by combining different colors. It is a unique and sophisticated culture with distinctive aesthetic values. Many traditional colors are dull and somber because most of them are a reproduction of the colors that exist in nature. Among such colors, the vivid 7 colors, namely, Shiro (while), Shu (vermilion), Kin (gold), Moe (green), Kuro (black), Kon (dark blue), and Murasaki (violet), had special meanings in daily life. This time, the visual arts were created with the attention on these colors.

GREEN

MOE (Yellowish Green) : Japanese kimonos are worn to reflect the seasons. In the spring, bright colors (especially Moegi) and floral kimono patterns are worn. Moegi, a color rooted deeply in Japan’s past, expresses the joy of the end of the winter season and renewal of life in the hills and fields.

created by

JUNKO KITANO ( Photograph & Design ) HITOSHI SAGASEKI ( Creativedirect ) TAKASHI FUKUSHIMA ( Web )

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BLUE

KON (Dark blue): This color refers to dark blue with a purplish tinge, and is considered to be the deepest color in the indigo system. In the olden days, it was also called "Koki Hanada / Fukaki Hanada", but from the middle of the Heian period, the name "dark (navy) blue" came to be used. From the end of the Heian period to the Kamakura period, it was loved as the color of men's costumes, and it became an opportunity for indigo cultivation and dyeing to flourish.

Created by

Zoran Zarre ( Photograph & Design )Akiko Takizawa ( Model & Design) Takashi Fukushima ( Web ) Hitoshi Sagaseki ( Creative Direct )

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RED

SYU (Vermilion) : Vermillion a vivid color with important historical meaning and a long history of use as a mineral pigment. It contrasts sharply with the color of India ink used in texts and drawings that are printed or copied. The ancient vermillion used in visuals is an elegantly frosted dark red.

Created by

YOSIKO NAKANISHI ( Paint ) KIMIO TAKEYAMA ( Photograph ) HITOSHI SAGASEKI ( Creativedirect ) TAKASHI FUKUSHIMA ( Web )m

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WHITE

SHIRO (White) : It is often said that “the color white scours away the seven defects”. In the Heian period, it was popular for noble women to daub white powder on their faces to make their skin look white. It is said that this is the root of the use of white makeup in Kabuki and by the Geisha.

Created by

TETSUYA NIIKURA ( Photograph ) YUKO MIZUNO ( Makeup ) HITOSHI SAGASEKI ( Creativedirect ) TAKASHI FUKUSHIMA ( Web )

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Black

KURO (BLACK): A glossy black texture is important for Japanese utensils and furniture. Jet-black polish has long been used in traditional crafts and so on. In addition, due to the degradation of its adhesive, India ink that has been dried over many years spreads well. The ink gives a sense of three dimensions and the variations in its color come out beautifully.

Created by

AKIHIKO TAGAYASU ( Photograph ) HITOSHI SAGASEKI ( Creativedirect ) TAKASHI FUKUSHIMA ( Web )

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Gold

KIN (Gold) : It was often used in the Momoyama period, which gave rise to a dazzling culture rich with pomp. Pictures were painted with luxurious colors on top of gold backgrounds made with fine gold gilding on partitions and folding screens. Gold clouds were often used as motifs.

Created by
MASAMI ADACHI ( Photograph & Design ) HITOSHI SAGASEKI ( Creativedirect ) TAKASHI FUKUSHIMA ( Web )

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PURPLE

Murasaki ( Violet ) : The name “murasaki” is derived from the fact that dyes had been made from shikon (lithospermi radix). Shikon was difficult to grow, and so it was prized. Violet was defined as the color representing high status, in ancient China, Roman Empire, and Japan when it adopted ritsuryo (historical law system). In Kan-i junikai (Twelve level cap and rank system) established by Prince Shotoku, violet was the color of the crown of the highest class called daitoku.

Created by

Zoran Zarre ( Photograph & Design )Akiko Takizawa ( Model & Design) Takashi Fukushima ( Web ) Hitoshi Sagaseki ( Creative Direct )

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