November 5th Color Calendar Blue Ink Tea

November 5th, Color Calendar: Indigo Tea

"Silence is also fragrant in color."

As the autumn night deepens, silence spreads through the dimly lit room. Today's color is "aisumicha" -- a deep, astringent brown that resembles a blend of indigo and ink.

This color evokes the feeling of reading at night or spending time writing. The scent of ink, indigo-dyed fabric, the texture of paper from old books... everything seems to blend into this color.

Indigo tea is not just a dark color. It contains the depth of knowledge and a margin of tranquility. It is precisely because it is a color that eliminates flashiness that the contours of the heart emerge clearly.

If I were to write something today, it would be in these colors. Words would nestle into silence, and memories would blur like ink.

References

• "Traditional Japanese Colors" by Shikosha • "Japanese Color Handbook" edited by the Plant Dyeing Research Group • "Indigo Ink Tea" — irocore.com
• "Dictionary of the Color Names of the Four Seasons" Kodansha