Kamenozoki

The palest indigo-dyed color. It is also called Nozoki-iro, and it is dyed by dipping the cloth into an indigo vat only once. The dyeing trade had been established by the end of the Muromachi period, and at that time a pale Ai-iro was called hitoshio-zome. Hitoshio means dipping the cloth into the dye once during dyeing, and the word is used in expressions such as "yorokobi mo hitoshio" (all the more joyful) and "hitoshio mi ni shimiru" (to be felt all the more deeply), when the whole heart feels quietly and completely steeped. It describes a pure state with nothing mixed in.