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In the News
The Mainichi Daily News, 12/13/2010
The Japan Times, 12/13/2010
Associated Press, 12/13/2010
Guardian, 03/01/2010
Kyodo, 02/26/2010
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Madder Red (Akane-iro)
Madder red (“akane-iro” in Japanese) is a color immortalized in the Manyoshu, one of Japan’s most revered collections of poetry (mostly written between AD 600 and 759), used mostly to describe the sun and sunset. There are many shades of red, but this one is used as an adjective for the color of sunset.
“Amaterasu-omikami” (meaning “the one who illuminates Heaven”) is the sun goddess, probably the most important deity in Japanese mythology. The formal name for the country, Nippon, consists of two written characters, meaning “originating from the sun,” and the national flag depicts a circle the color of madder red.
(Via Japan for Sustainability)
