일본 헤이안시대(平安時代)의 색채문화

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the color culture and clothes of old Japanese Heian Period(794～1185). Each place, each countries will have their traditional colors, people has used for long time and still using in their life. Heian means "peace" in Japanese, the Heian Period was considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art and especially in poetry and literature. The famous novel The Tale of Genji was written around the year 1000 by Murasaki Sikibu. In the book she writes about the types of clothing worn by women of the royal court. The poetry and literature of the Heian Period was notably expressive and many color names and discriptions came about from the pages of these traditional pieces. Most names of colors originate from the names plants, flowers and animals that bore or resembled them. The Engisiki was written in 927 which was a book about laws and customs. According to the Engisiki the color tones were divided into five categories; very pale, pale, medium, deep, very deep. In the Heian period, the ladies of the court would wear the "junihitoe" which meant "twelve layers". These would be worn for ceremonial occasions. This led to an appreciation for colors and their combinations, resulting in great care being taken in matching and harmonizing the various colors of the kimono layers. Kasanenoirome using a Chinese character "重" for the former, and "襲" for the latter, though both were pronounced "kasane" in the Japanese language. The color combination of "重" presents typical 190 color samples and "襲" presents typical 40 color samples selected from historical references. In many cases, the choice was recommended in close relation to natural phenomena. We can see from this fact how deeply the people of each time loved the natural surroundings and how enthusiastically they tried to live with ever changing seasons.