Shu-iro

A vivid yellowish red. Natural vermilion pigment is called shinshu, and the pigment from Chenzhou in Hunan Province, China, was famous and was called shinsha (cinnabar). The common Shu-iro does not come from natural pigment. It comes from an artificial pigment made by mixing mercury and sulfur with mercuric sulfide ore and refining it, called ginshu. In the ancient Chinese Five Elements theory, shu (vermilion) is one of the pure colors. It corresponds to the south, the direction of the Vermilion Bird (Shucho or Suzaku), and its season is shuka (vermilion summer). It has long been used as the color of seal ink, as in shuinjo (vermilion-sealed licenses), and today it is used for personal identification.