{
  "schema": "colorcombinations-learn/v1",
  "generated": "2026-09-28T02:12:01.414Z",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Dictionary of Color Combinations",
    "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/",
    "@id": "https://colorcombinations.org/#organization"
  },
  "article": {
    "slug": "japanese-blues",
    "type": "reference",
    "readingOrder": null,
    "title": "Japanese Blues: Ai, Kon, Hanada, Asagi, Ruri, Gunjō",
    "description": "Why Japanese has a name for each step of the indigo vat (ai, kon, hanada, asagi) and two more for blues that come from stone (ruri and gunjō). The dyes, what each blue signals, and a working palette per blue.",
    "eyebrow": "The named colours",
    "readingTime": "5 min",
    "tags": [
      "Blues",
      "Indigo",
      "Pigments"
    ],
    "wordCount": 877,
    "datePublished": "2026-09-28T00:00:00Z",
    "outline": [
      "The indigo ladder",
      "Ai — indigo itself",
      "Kon — the deepest indigo",
      "Hanada — the middle blue",
      "Asagi — the palest indigo",
      "The stone blues: ruri and gunjō",
      "The palest: mizu-iro and sora",
      "How to pick the right blue for a brief"
    ],
    "citedTerms": [
      {
        "term": "ai",
        "pronunciation": "a-i",
        "meaning": "Indigo, from the leaves of Polygonum tinctorium; the everyday blue of Edo Japan."
      },
      {
        "term": "kon",
        "pronunciation": "kon",
        "meaning": "The darkest indigo, dipped until nearly black."
      },
      {
        "term": "hanada",
        "pronunciation": "ha-na-da",
        "meaning": "Mid-depth indigo blue, graded deep/middle/pale in the Engishiki."
      },
      {
        "term": "asagi",
        "pronunciation": "a-sa-gi",
        "meaning": "'Pale leek green': the palest indigo, a light blue-green."
      },
      {
        "term": "ruri",
        "pronunciation": "ru-ri",
        "meaning": "Lapis-lazuli blue, named after the stone."
      },
      {
        "term": "gunjō",
        "pronunciation": "gun-jō",
        "meaning": "Ground azurite, the mineral blue of Japanese painting."
      }
    ],
    "relatedSlugs": [
      "japanese-reds",
      "japanese-greens",
      "japanese-purples",
      "japanese-color-glossary"
    ],
    "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/learn/japanese-blues/",
    "api": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn/japanese-blues.json",
    "openGraph": "https://colorcombinations.org/og/learn/japanese-blues.svg",
    "relatedUrls": [
      {
        "slug": "japanese-reds",
        "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/learn/japanese-reds/",
        "api": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn/japanese-reds.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "japanese-greens",
        "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/learn/japanese-greens/",
        "api": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn/japanese-greens.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "japanese-purples",
        "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/learn/japanese-purples/",
        "api": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn/japanese-purples.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "japanese-color-glossary",
        "url": "https://colorcombinations.org/learn/japanese-color-glossary/",
        "api": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn/japanese-color-glossary.json"
      }
    ]
  },
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "source": "colorcombinations.org editorial",
  "indexUrl": "https://colorcombinations.org/api/learn.json"
}