Aoshiro-tsurubami

A duller color than Kariyasu-iro. According to the Engishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era), dyeing one hiki of twill silk in Aoshiro-tsurubami reportedly required 96 large kin of kariyasu grass, 6 kin of murasaki (purple gromwell), 3 koku of ash, and 840 kin of firewood. As the color of the ho (outer robe) that the emperor wore in daily life, it was designated a kinjiki (forbidden color). Kariyasu and the purple of murasaki are nearly complementary colors. Mixing them produces gray. Using more kariyasu grass gives a yellowish gray. Tsurubami means acorns, and tsurubami dyeing produces a dark gray. Aoshiro-tsurubami has no connection to tsurubami dyeing, but the character for tsurubami is used in its name.