[Explanation of a color]

Arazome (退紅) is a very pale shade of red. It is a traditional color name derived from benibana (紅花, safflower) dyeing, dating back to the Heian period, and was also pronounced as arasome. The character “退” (tai) is synonymous with “褪” (tai), meaning “faded red.” However, in this context, “faded” does not refer to a color that has lost its vibrancy over time, but rather to a naturally light shade of red.

Arazome was considered a shade slightly lighter than Ikkin-zome (一斤染), which was the standard reference for permitted colors, and darker than Sakurairo (桜色, cherry blossom color). Various texts refer to it by different names, such as Senzome (洗染, washed dye), Arazome (荒染, rough dye), and Sozome (粗染, coarse dye), all of which describe the same color. Additionally, Shouzoku Shokui (装束色彙) states that “薄紅 (Usukurenai, light crimson) and 退紅 (Arazome) are the same,” suggesting that some sources regarded them as identical shades.

Regarding the dyeing method, Engi Nuidenshiki (延喜縫殿式) records that “one hiki (疋) of silk requires eight ryō (両) of safflower, one gō (合) of vinegar, half a bundle of straw, and thirty kin (斤) of firewood” to achieve this shade. Vinegar was used as a mordant to bring out the pale red color. It is also said that the residue of safflower extraction was sometimes used for dyeing.

In Engi Danzyoudaishiki (延喜弾正台式), Arazome was designated as the clothing color for officials, attendants, and menial workers. When worn by individuals of lower social status, it was pronounced as Taikou (たいこう) to distinguish it from its standard usage. The Teijou Zakki (貞丈雑記), a late Edo-period text on court customs, also notes that “退紅 is the clothing of the lowly,” indicating its association with the attire of lower-ranking individuals.

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