Kobi-cha

The word "kobucha" (kelp tea) was corrupted in pronunciation, and the color came to be called "kobicha." The kanji used for "kobi" was chosen only for its sound. It was loved by the common people of Edo around the time of Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Edo period. Color names of the Edo period sometimes paid little attention to describing or conveying the color, and focused instead on things such as the sound of the word.