Kevin Tembouret

Dictionary of Colors in Japan Kevin Tembouret

The Japanese colours are remarkable both under the cherry blossoms and in the lee of the autumn's glowing red maple trees. The Japanese Kimono is adorned with colours, as splendid as they are significant. History has influenced the clothes. The green of the Japanese tea and the grey are just as much as the imperial colours, which are much more vivid. The restriction of colours during certain periods brings a chromatic richness that still influences Japanese Art today. While gold and lush red adorn Japanese temples, the people of the Land of the Rising Sun offer us many unknown shades to admire. This dictionary lists the most important colours of Japan from prehistoric times to the present day. Each colour is listed in alphabetical order, accompanied by its Japanese name in Kanji / Hiragana / Katakana and its translation in your language. To delight graphic artists, designers and artists, the hexadecimal code of each colour is added just before the description. This dictionary is a follow-up to the book "The Colours of Japanese Art - 496 Tones and Shades: From Ukiyo-e to Kimono" by the same author, summarizing the main lines and important elements for anyone interested in the colours of Japan.