[Explanation of a color]

Tokihairo is a pale peach-pink color with a slight yellow tint, reminiscent of the primary feathers of the toki (Japanese crested ibis). This traditional dye color, dating back to the Edo period, was named after the color of the toki’s feathers. It is also simply called Tokiiro or Toki-iro.

The Edo-period dyeing manual “Tekagami Moyō Setsuyō” describes tokihairo as identical to Shinonome-iro (“dawn color”). At that time, the toki was a common bird in Japan, making the name “tokihairo” widely recognized and popular, particularly as a ground color for young women’s kosode (kimono).

Today, the toki is an endangered species and rarely seen, adding a sense of rarity and delicate beauty to tokihairo. Its soft, gentle hue now evokes the bird’s preciousness and fragility, enhancing its special appeal. Perhaps because of this background, tokihairo continues to be favored by many women in modern Japan, not only in kimono but in various other contexts as well.

-read:Tokiha-iro-