紺 means 'navy blue'

A deep dive into dyeing gives you the blues in the best of ways, also illuminating the clothing of commoners versus that of the elites and priests. Speaking of priests, three of the essays connect to Buddhism. More unexpectedly, sea creatures, achievement medals, the colors of the rainbow, birds, gems, and vegetables all prove to be common ground. See which color the Japanese associate with uniforms and which one they think of when seeing soy sauce and cigarette smoke.

You may picture kimonos as formal outfits worn on special occasions. With tight sashes and many layers, they take considerable effort to put on and look uncomfortable. But there are also much more casual kimonos for daily wear by working people, such as farmers. These are often made with blurred "kasuri" fabrics featuring a repeating grid or lattice shape. Whereas three essays in this bundle showcase such fabrics in gorgeous blues, the 丈 essay introduces a distinctive yellow silk cloth with striped or checkered patterns. These woven and dyed fabrics became so famous that Hachijo Island was named after them!