Difference between revisions of "Category:Indigo: Ukiyo-e colorant"

Revision as of 22:59, 15 August 2024

The Song Evening Mist at Asama Peak by Keisai Eisen

Indigo 藍 (ai): A natural dark blue dye obtained from Indigofera tinctoria plants native to India, Java, Peru, and other tropical areas. The use of indigo was first mentioned in Indian manuscripts in the 4th century BCE. In Japan, indigo was introduced from China in the 6th century CE. The dye is obtained from an indigo plant native to Asia, Persicaria tinctoria (蓼藍 tadeai). The colorant can also be extracted from indigo dyed cloth or fibers according to Hokusai's illustrated treatise, Ehon saishikitsū (画本彩色通). Indian indigo began to be imported around the end of the Edo period (1603–1868).

Indigo and dayflower are the two blues used in Japanese woodblock prints until Prussian blue enters the palette in the 1830s. Indigo appears most frequently from the 1740s onwards as a color mixed with orpiment to produce a variety of greens. As a single colorant, it appears as a comparatively dull blue color. Due to its poor tinting strength, a relatively large amount needs to be used during printing in order to obtain a good saturation of this color. Its texture is somewhat coarse which makes it difficult to execute graduated hues from dark to light.

Indigo and orpiment are mixed or overprinted to create a green. This mixture is the most commonly seen combination to create a green.

For additional information see: Indigo, Uemura Dye Archive: Indigo 272, 274, 275, Persicaria tinctoria (Kew)

Examples of Indigo in Ukiyo-e Prints


Pt 6: Printed Katsushika Hokusai, 11.19657


Pt : Printed Utagawa Kunisada, 11.15216


Pt 9: Printed Keisai Eisen, 11.25669


Pt 1: Printed Keisai Eisen, 11.17878

Analysis

Fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) can easily identify the three blues: dayflower, indigo, and Prussian blue.

FORS spectrum of Dayflower reference
FORS spectrum of Indigo reference
FORS spectrum of Prussian blue reference

Images of Indigo

Persicaria tinctoria, by Tokushima Prefectural Souvenir and Tourism Plaza
Indigofera tinctoria
Indigo sticks, by Takeo City Library
Indigo piece (Indigofera tinctoria)
Indigo powder (Indigofera tinctoria)
Sukumo indigo (Persicaria tinctoria)
Paper dyed with indigo
Paper dyed with indigo at 50x
Indigo blue at 500x
Printed Indigo
Printed Indigo
Indigo paste, by National Museum of Natural History
Indigo (audio), by Harvard Art Museums
Ai-Tokushima:The story of Japan blue (video), by Tokushima prefecture channel
Awa indigo and its production method (video), by jrtservice623
Indigo Building (video), by Yamatokoriyama City Tourism Association
Indigo dye extraction (video), by kmaexports

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where indigo was detected.

Pages in category "Indigo: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total.

B

Bunchō, Actors Nakamura Matsue I as Umegawa and Ichikawa Komazô II as Yoemon, 11.19316

E

H

Hiroshige I/Hiroshige II, Ueno Yamashita, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 11.35842

K

Kuniyoshi, (Actor Ichikawa Ebizô V as) Inuyama Dôsetsu, from the series The Lives of Eight Brave and Loyal Dog Heroes, 11.28841

S

T

U

Utamaro I, Courtesan Asajiu of the Daimonjiya and Nanatsu-ume Sake by Momenya, from the series Aristocrats of Sake Compared to Courtesans of Six Selected Houses, 11.14267

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-|[[File:11.25669-pt9-detail.png|200px|link=Eisen, Minazuru-hime as Ono no Komachi and Benkei as Kisen Hôshi, from the series Characters from the Life of Ushiwaka as the Six Poetic Immortals, 11.25669]]
+|[[File:dyed indigo.jpg|200px|link=Kunisada, Moon Viewing at Mukôjima, a Triptych, from the series Moon, Snow and Flowers, 11.15216]]
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-[[File:Indigo FORS.JPG|200px]]<br>[[Eisen, Minazuru-hime as Ono no Komachi and Benkei as Kisen Hôshi, from the series Characters from the Life of Ushiwaka as the Six Poetic Immortals, 11.25669|Pt 9: Printed<br>Keisai Eisen, 11.25669]]
+[[File:Indigo FORS.JPG|200px]]<br>[[Kunisada, Moon Viewing at Mukôjima, a Triptych, from the series Moon, Snow and Flowers, 11.15216|Pt : Printed<br>Utagawa Kunisada, 11.15216]]
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+|[[File:11.25669-pt9-detail.png|200px|link=Eisen, Minazuru-hime as Ono no Komachi and Benkei as Kisen Hôshi, from the series Characters from the Life of Ushiwaka as the Six Poetic Immortals, 11.25669]]
 |-
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-[[File:Indigo FORS.JPG|200px]]<br>[[Kunisada, Moon Viewing at Mukôjima, a Triptych, from the series Moon, Snow and Flowers, 11.15216|Pt : Printed<br>Utagawa Kunisada, 11.15216]]
+[[File:Indigo FORS.JPG|200px]]<br>[[Eisen, Minazuru-hime as Ono no Komachi and Benkei as Kisen Hôshi, from the series Characters from the Life of Ushiwaka as the Six Poetic Immortals, 11.25669|Pt 9: Printed<br>Keisai Eisen, 11.25669]]
 |}