also: かついろ
dark indigo; deep blue-black
A traditional Japanese color name for a very dark indigo, almost black. Often used in historical or artistic contexts.
Dark indigo was often used for samurai kamishimo in the Edo period.
This dyed fabric has been repeatedly indigo-dyed to achieve a deep blue-black.
藍色 is a general indigo blue, while 褐色 is specifically a very dark, almost black shade of indigo.
紺色 is a dark navy blue, but 褐色 is even darker and closer to black, with a traditional Japanese dyeing context.
Standard kanji spelling for this color term.
Rare variant kanji form.
Ateji-like spelling using 勝つ (to win), playing on the reading かついろ.
The reading かちいろ is thought to derive from 搗ち (kachi), meaning 'to pound' or 'to beat', referring to the process of repeatedly beating the fabric during indigo dyeing to achieve the deep color. The kanji 褐 originally meant 'brown' in Chinese, but in Japanese it was used for this dark indigo shade.