The power of the color red

Lots of strawberries are now on sale at grocery stores and supermarkets. Since the new year’s holiday, there has been a steady increase in sales of them. I’m quite skeptical though about buying them in winter as they were grown in vinyl greenhouses that need heating oil. 

At patisseries, a variety of strawberry cakes and tarts are on sale along with my favorite treat, strawberry shortcake. They look so tempting!  I suspect that strawberries probably couldn't have won wide popularity if they were not red even though the berries themselves taste very good.



Red, one of the three primary colors, must be the color of life and energy as it is the color of blood.  It has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest. It is also the most noticeable color and it often gets people excited. We sometimes feel uneasy and tired when looking at a flood of primary colors.  How do you think you would feel if you gazed at a vast spread of red?  I had thought that it would make me feel sick or mad until the day when I actually gazed at one at a museum in Chiba.

Barnett Newman, Anna’s Light, 1968 (left)  　　　　　　　　　　Newman Room in Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art(right) 　
© 2008 Barnett Newman Foundation/ARS, New York/SPDA, Tokyo
Courtesy:Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art (photos)   　　　Anna's Light(youtube video)


Barnett Newman (1905～1970), an American post-war monumental artist, painted Anna’s Light in 1968.  It is generally recommended to view large paintings from a proper distance, however, this piece is created to be seen from a very short distance despite its huge size.

Standing before the work and immersed in its red, I experienced some inscrutable emotions welling up within me. Surprisingly enough, I found myself enveloped in pleasant, peaceful and somewhat awe-inspiring feeling. I wondered what it was. I had a bodily sensation of the color just like music touched my soul. Interestingly, I knew later that many viewers had feelings similar to mine. 

*1 (postcard)

In the Kofun period ( 古墳時代 around 250 to 7th century) when Japan was scarcely affected by Chinese culture, rulers of various parts of the country were usually buried in stone coffins the insides of which were painted red. At the time when I learned this fact I doubted if the deceased would be able to rest in peace, wrapped in red. However, I now think that this ancient burial manner was not so bad.

It is generally thought that the red color inside the coffins was used to expel demons or block evil. And the use of red in this manner has been handed down till today, especially in Shinto traditions. Look at the torii gate and a small piece of red cloth on the fox statue(Kitsune is often decked in red bibs) in the photos below*2.  I took these photos last summer in Fushimi in Kyoto.

Fushimi Irari Grand Shrine (伏見稲荷大社), the head of Inari shrines, is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates. While walking through the tunnel-like gates, I remember that I was caught up with a calm mysterious feeling.  I now understand what it was after viewing the Newman work last fall. It was similar to the sensation that I experienced in front of the painting though the shade of red in the shrine differs from the Newman’s red. Some people insist that you have the feeling in the tunnel because it is a Shinto sanctuary. It might be, however, that it comes from the power of red.

Red is used in many national flags. I would appreciate it if you could tell me the meaning of the red in your national flag. As for ours, the red symbolizes the color of the sun. Unlike in some other countries, influenced by the flag, many children paint the sun red in Japan.

Chinese people really love the color red which means good luck in their culture. My Chinese friend looks great in a red Cheongsam dress with small gold dragons and Phoenixes(鳳凰）scattered on it.

Unlike in China, red alone doesn’t mean good luck in Japan. The combination of red and white (kouhaku: 紅白) is a symbol for auspicious or happy occasions ( hare ) for us.

While Chinese traditional wedding dresses are red, our traditional wedding kimonos have usually been white though black kurohiki wedding kimonos have also been popular since the Meiji period （1868～1912). Some young ladies prefer red uchikake kimonos for their wedding ceremonies and receptions. The red ones were very popular with the wealthy merchant class during the Edo period (1603～1868）.

 red uchikake with cranes on it from Wikipedia

Lastly, back to the strawberry cake. I could not resist temptation after all and happily followed my motto: Life is short, eat dessert first! 

Lady in Red is lovely!

*1 Stone Coffin by Maeda Seison (前田 青邨 1885~1977)

*2  There are some other views about why not all but many shinto toriis are red. The most prevailing opinion(such as Association of Shinto Shrines) says  that it comes from the ancient belief that the use of red, the color of life, is effective to block evil.