Yamabato-iro

A grayish yellowish green derived from the feathers of the white-bellied green pigeon (aobato). In the Engishiki it appears as Aoshiro-tsurubami, one of the forbidden colors, and during the Genpei War it was called Yamabato-iro. The Tale of the Heike includes the following description in the scene where Emperor Antoku drowns himself at the Battle of Dan-no-ura: "Wearing a robe of Yamabato-iro, with his hair tied in binzura loops..." Many color names that appeared in the aristocratic culture of the Heian period were taken from plants and natural scenery, but in the era when samurai were active, color names taken from animals, especially bird feathers, became common.