About this site

What is Rokuyo?

Actually this webpage is about the website rokuyo.org; not about the Rokuyo calendar. For information of the concepts of Rokuyo itself, see Rokuyo explained.

How do I contact the folks running this website?

I treasure my privacy. What information can you see about me when I look at your webpages?

Don't worry, your privacy is guaranteed. We're fully transparent about how this website operates. Please see our privacy policy.

Can I copy images and text from this website?

The short answer is no. This website is on the public domain but content is covered by the usual copyright laws. Please see our copyright notice.

Why is Rokuyo purple?

Purple is a secondary colour mix of red and blue. It's quite versatile and can range from light lavender to deep violet. People often associate purple with luxury, creativity, and royalty. But that's not the reason for Rokuyo's colour.

A similar colour is indigo which is a deep blue; a tertiary colour created by mixing blue and violet. It is often associated it with the night sky and can be quite calming. That's one reason why Rokuyo is indigo.

OK, so it's not purple. Why is Rokuyo indigo?

No compelling reason, though in times past the colours indigo, blue and grey were for commoners' kimono in Japan and also used extensively in Japanese ceramics. Blue especially, is ubiquitous in Japanese art.

Perhaps because of its ubiquity, blue isn't often seen in artwork depicting deity which tend to be vibrant reds and yellows, which are more expensive. Indigo is a dye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the indigofera genus, in particular Indigofera tinctoria. Common and relatively easy to grow, hence the Japanese peasant class often wore kimonos dyed with indigo. Only the higher classes could afford more exotic colours. The choice of colour, if there was a choice, was a mark of social ranking. And it still is today - we roll out a red carpet for VIPs.

So the cheap, common colours such as indigo tend not to be used when depicting deities, instead they are used to symbolize the mystical world.

Mysticism is commonly understood to mean one's experience and relationship with their god; mysticism is not a deity in itself. Therefore in representing something mystical, we need to steer clear of implying it has supernatural powers.

As with astrology, the ancient Rokuyo may be seen as an instrument for telling something about the future, indicating which day is destined to be lucky. But it doesn't have the power to change destiny.