Turmeric: Ukiyo-e colorant

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Bundle Tied with Straw by Kitao Shigemasa

Turmeric 鬱金 (ukon): A yellow dye obtained from the root of the Curcuma longa (or C. domestica) plant native to India. The primary color component in turmeric is curcumin. Turmeric produces a bright deep yellow that has a high tinting strength. Turmeric made its way from Ryūkyū (Okinawa) and Siam (Thailand) through trade.

Turmeric and orpiment have been the most commonly detected yellows as a single colorant or as a mixture of the two. In addition to mixtures with orpiment, turmeric was frequently overprinted or mixed with dayflower and safflower to create green and orange.

For additional information see: Turmeric, Turmeric (Curcuma longa) LC, Uemura Dye Archive: Turmeric 20, Curcuma longa (Kew)

Examples of Turmeric in Ukiyo-e Prints

11.19703-pt4-detail.png

1119703-Pt4-EEM.jpg
Pt 4: Printed
Suzuki Harunobu, 11.19703

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46.1409 Pt 5 June 18 2014.jpg
Pt 5: Printed
Torii Kiyomitsu I, 46.1409

11.20433-pt1-detail.png

11.20433 EEM Pt1 Jan 28 2019.jpg
Pt 1: Printed
Katsushika Hokusai, 11.20433

11.20149-pt1-detail.png

1120149-Pt1-EEM.jpg
Pt 1: Printed
Kitao Shigemasa, 11.20149

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11.25587 EEM Pt7 Jul 9 2021.jpg
Pt 7: Printed
Keisai Eisen, 11.25587

Analysis

Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) spectroscopy can easily identify turmeric due to its high fluorescence and clear, consistent pattern. Another yellow colorant thought to have been traditionally used, Japanese yellow wood or kihada (黄檗) also fluoresces very brightly but produces a very different EEM pattern, making it easy to distinguish between the two materials. Yellow wood has not been detected so far.

Images of Turmeric

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where turmeric was detected.

Pages in category "Turmeric: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total.

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