玉虫色(たまむしいろ)とは？：伝統色のいろは

玉虫色（たまむしいろ）とは？｜Tamamushi-iro｜#00562B

玉虫色Tamamushi-iro

色の名前Japan Color Name	玉虫色（たまむしいろ）
ローマ字Romanized	Tamamushi-iro
RGB	R:000 G:086 B:043
CMYK	C:100 M:0 Y:88 K:60
Web カラーHex triplet

色の説明

玉虫色（たまむしいろ）とは、タマムシ（玉虫）の翅（はね）のような暗い青みのある緑色のことです。その名のとおり昆虫のタマムシに由来する色で、『夏虫色（なつむしいろ）』『虫襖（むしあお）（虫青）』は同色にあたります。

『玉虫色』はもともと「織り色」の色名で、経糸（たていと）に「青（現在でいう緑）」、緯糸（よこいと）に「紫」を用いて織ることで、見る角度や光の当たり方によって色合いが変化し、タマムシの翅（はね）のような独特の表情を生み出しました。
※織り色：経糸と緯糸の色の組み合わせによって生まれる色合いを指すもの。

「色名大辞典」（一九五◯）には『玉虫色』について、「中古服装襲（かさね）の色目の一つ。表は青黒、裏は二藍叉は薄色。」とありますが、これは『虫襖』の襲の色目についての説明ではないかと思われます。
※襲の色目：衣の表裏や重ねによって色を表現する配色法。

『玉虫色』が一般的な色名となるのは室町以降ですが、「四季色目（しきいろめ）」（一八三◯）には「虫襖。一説為玉虫色」とあることから、江戸後期には同じ色の『虫襖』のほうが一般的な色名だったようです。

タマムシ（玉虫）

タマムシは、タマムシ科に属する体長30～40mmの細長い米型の甲虫。全体に緑色の金属光沢があり、背中に虹のような赤と緑の縦じまが入る。美しい外見を持つことから古来より珍重されてきた。

タマムシの翅（はね）は死後も色あせず、工芸品に加工されたり、装飾として使われたりしている。法隆寺宝物として知られる「玉虫厨子（たまむしのずし）」はその代表例。

タマムシの翅（はね）は、光の角度によってさまざまな色へと表情を変えることから、いずれの立場とも取れる曖昧な対応や表現を指して「玉虫色」と呼ばれるようになりました。そのため現代では、『玉虫色』は色名としてよりも慣用句として用いられる場面のほうが多く、タマムシそのものの生息数が減少していることと重ね合わせるように、色名の『玉虫色』もまた、静かに姿を消しつつあるのかもしれません。

タマムシ

-読み：むしあお-

[Explanation of a color]

Tamamushi-iro refers to a dark, bluish green reminiscent of the wings of the jewel beetle (tamamushi). As its name suggests, the color derives from this insect, and it is considered equivalent to the colors known as Natsumushi-iro (夏虫色) and Mushi-ao (虫襖 / 虫青).

Originally, tamamushi-iro was a woven color rather than a dyed one. By weaving blue warp threads (blue in the historical sense, corresponding to what is now called green) with purple weft threads, the fabric changes its appearance depending on the viewing angle and the way light falls upon it, producing an iridescent effect similar to the wings of the jewel beetle. This quality—where the color cannot be fixed as a single hue—is a defining characteristic of tamamushi-iro.

Woven color: A color effect created through the combination of differently colored warp and weft threads.

According to the Dictionary of Color Names (1950), tamamushi-iro is described as “one of the traditional layered color combinations in historical dress; the outer layer is blue-black, and the lining is either futa-ai (double indigo) or a pale color.” However, this description appears more accurately to refer to the layered color scheme known as mushi-ao rather than tamamushi-iro itself.

Kasane no irome (layered color schemes): A method of expressing color through the combination of outer and inner layers of garments.

Although tamamushi-iro came to be recognized as a general color name from the Muromachi period onward, the text Shiki Irome (1830) records the phrase “*Mushi-ao; according to one theory, this is considered tamamushi-iro.” This suggests that in the late Edo period, mushi-ao was the more commonly used name for the same color.

The Jewel Beetle (Tamamushi)

The jewel beetle belongs to the family Buprestidae and is a slender, rice-shaped beetle measuring approximately 30–40 mm in length. Its body displays a vivid metallic green sheen, with iridescent red and green stripes running along its back. Owing to its striking appearance, it has been treasured since ancient times.

Remarkably, the wings of the jewel beetle do not fade even after death. For this reason, they have been used in crafts and decorative objects. The Tamamushi Shrine (Tamamushi no Zushi), a famous treasure of Hōryū-ji Temple, is a well-known example.

Because the beetle’s wings shift in color—appearing green, purple, or other hues depending on the angle of light—the term tamamushi-iro eventually came to be used metaphorically to describe ambiguous responses or expressions that can be interpreted in multiple ways. As a result, in modern usage, tamamushi-iro is more commonly recognized as an idiomatic expression than as a color name. In a quiet parallel to the declining population of the jewel beetle itself, tamamushi-iro as a color name may also be gradually fading from use.

-read: Tamamushi-iro -