Reproduction and quantification of dyeing methods for clothes in the Nara and Heian era

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K02080
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: Jissen Women's University
• Principal Investigator: GOCHO Hiromi 実践女子大学, 研究推進機構, 研究員 (80114916)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 牟田 緑 東京家政大学, 家政学部, 特任准教授 (50138187) ; 塚崎 舞 東京学芸大学, 教育学部, 講師 (50844924) ; 塩原 みゆき 実践女子大学, 生活科学部, 教授 (80196360) ; 小川 裕耶 実践女子大学, 生活科学部, 助教 (10985930)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: vegetable color / color / color fastness / silk / colorimetry

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The ancient times of Japan, the colors of human garments in the upper classes, have been described in certain literatures, e.g., Tales of Genji and also in some ancient laws, e.g., Engishiki. However, inn such literatures, they include only the colour names or almost in Engishiki, the dyeing materials of mainly vegetable origin.
Usually, vegetable colors are prone to decoloration by light (fading) and hence the original colors in the ancient times are largely changed in these thousand years.
It is the purpose of this investigation to regenerate the original colors, such as hi or scarlet, and various murasaki’s or various violets, as they are dyed at that times.　The colors regenerated here, has been formed to be reasonably discussed in terms of modern colorimetry.

Free Research Field

dyeing and finishing

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来、天然染料による染色は、染色家の技術と勘と美意識に頼り、外観の色彩の再現のみが重視されていた。このような感覚量をL*a*b*値やｋ/ｓ値などで定量的に表すことで、いつでもどこでも誰もが同じ色彩を得ることが出来るようになる。また、染色条件が定量的に明白になれば、その染色物の色の変退色の程度を表す染色堅牢度も再現できるようになる。古代染色技術の解明と同時に、同じ成分で構成される他の天然染料への応用も考えられる。