The colors of the kimono: a symbolic language between nature and spirituality

Beneath the branches of cherry blossom trees, a young woman walks slowly. Her red kimono seems to breathe with the wind, contrasting with the pale color of the falling petals. Not far away, a monk in an indigo robe sweeps the floor of a temple. Further still, a bride dressed in white bows before the Shinto altar. Three silhouettes, three colors—and already, a whole world is revealed.

In Japan, color is never insignificant. In a kimono, it expresses much more than aesthetic taste: it conveys a relationship between man, nature, and the sacred. Each shade carries within it a season, an emotion, a prayer. It tells of the purity of white, the vitality of red, the depth of indigo, the serenity of green.

The symbolic origin of colors in Japanese culture

Long before the kimono became the emblem of Japanese refinement, color already had mystical significance. Ancient Japan drew inspiration from a system that originated in China—that of the Five Elements (五行, gogyō) and the Five Colors (五色, goshiki).

Each hue corresponds to an element, a direction, a season, and a cosmic energy:

These five colors are not chosen to “go together,” but to harmonize with the world. Wearing a color means placing yourself in a flow of energy: that of direction, season, and moment.

This spiritual concept has had a profound influence on Japanese arts—from calligraphy to prints, Zen gardens to fabric dyeing. Each color becomes a point of balance in the great breath of the world.

During the Heian period (794-1185), the color of clothing was no longer just a sacred matter, but also a social one. The nobles of the imperial court in Kyoto turned color into a true art form: that of kasane no irome (重ねの色目)—the layering of fabrics whose hues evoked the seasons.

A lady could wear twelve layers of silk (jūnihitoe): soft green on light pink for young spring leaves, purple on gray for autumn mists. Each combination told the story of nature in motion, but also of the inner sensitivity of the woman wearing it.

It was a silent poetry, where elegance consisted in feeling right, not in shining.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), these codes became more democratic: merchants and artisans, although excluded from power, developed a more subtle aesthetic. Deprived of bright silks, they explored discreet shades—indigo, brown, gray-blue—giving rise to a refined restraint.

This was the birth of wabi-sabi (侘寂): beauty in simplicity, modesty elevated to an art of living.

Thus, long before it became a fashion item, the kimono was a mirror of the cosmos and hierarchy, a fabric that connected man to both the heavens and society.

Colors and their deep symbolism

In Japan, color is never just a matter of aesthetics: it is a form of energy. In kimonos, each shade interacts with nature and conveys a state of mind.

White (白 shiro) — Purity, transition, rebirth

In Japanese culture, white is a paradoxical color. It symbolizes both the beginning and the end, purity and emptiness, life and death.

It is the color of rites of passage, worn to purify, to detach from the old and welcome the new.

At Shinto weddings, the bride wears a white kimono (shiromuku 白無垢): it is the symbol of a virgin soul ready to unite and be reborn into a new family.

But it is also the color of mourning, funerals, and the return to nothingness—a white that erases, that prepares for reincarnation. To wear white is to approach the sacred—and to accept to strip away the superfluous.

Red (赤aka) — Life, passion, protection

Red is the color of fire and blood: it circulates, warms, and protects. In ancient Japan, it was believed to ward off evil spirits.

This is why children often wore red amulets or clothing, and why the torii gates of Shinto shrines are painted in bright vermilion—a fiery boundary between the human world and the divine world.

In kimonos, red expresses youth, vitality, and passion.

Young girls wore red under-kimonos, visible with every movement, as a sign of inner life. Brides, too, wore red under their ritual white—the fire of life hidden beneath the snow of purity.

Blue/indigo (青 ao, 藍 ai) — Serenity, loyalty, depth

Japanese blue is much more than a color: it is a way of life. Used for centuries by farmers, artisans, and samurai, it symbolizes purity of work, loyalty, and self-control.

Indigo also has medicinal properties: it protects against insects and purifies the skin. It is a useful color, but also a deeply spiritual one. It embodies constancy, patience, and inner peace.

In Japanese thought, blue is not limited to the sky: it also encompasses green. The word ao refers to everything that is “young, alive, fresh.” Thus, new foliage is ao, as is clear water or a child's gaze.

Black (黒; kuro) — Elegance, solemnity, mystery

In Japan, black is not associated with misfortune, but with dignity. It is a color of mastery, restraint, and depth. In calligraphy, black ink is the mark of the perfect stroke: emptiness and fullness respond to each other.

In the world of kimonos, black is the color of grand ceremonies.

Married women wear kuro-tomesode (黒留袖), black kimonos adorned with family crests, symbols of respect and stability. Men, meanwhile, wear montsuki, a simple black kimono marked with five crests.

But black is also the color of mystery and a return to the essential. In Zen philosophy, it evokes fertile emptiness, the depth from which light is born.

Purple (murasaki) — Power, wisdom, spirituality

In the Heian court, purple was the color of the highest ranks. Its dye, extracted from the murasaki no hana plant, was rare and precious—so much so that it was reserved for nobles and religious figures.

But beyond status, purple represents the union of red (passion) and blue (serenity): a balance between fire and spirit.

It is the color of wisdom, detachment, and meditation. In Buddhist temples, high-ranking monks wore purple fabrics as a sign of their closeness to enlightenment.

In kimonos, purple expresses an inner beauty that is discreet, almost mystical. It is a color for those who seek to elevate themselves without appearing to do so.

Green (緑; midori) — Nature, youth, harmony

In Japanese culture, green symbolizes growth, vitality, and the continuity of the natural cycle. It is the color of tea, moss in Zen gardens, and the ever-present pine trees on hillsides.

Green soothes, connects, and balances. In kimonos, it often accompanies floral or seasonal motifs: buds, leaves, bamboo.

It never imposes its presence—it unites other colors, just as nature brings beings together.

Color harmonies: between nature and the cycle of the seasons

In Japan, color never exists alone. It lives in connection with light, season, and material. It is this silent dialogue that makes the kimono a wearable landscape, a reflection of the living world.

At the Heian court (794–1185), nobles composed subtle harmonies called kasane no irome (重ねの色目) — literally “layered shades.”

Each combination of hues evoked an image of nature:

• Spring: pink and soft green for young leaves.
• Summer: white and light blue for the freshness of water.
• Autumn: red and gold for maple trees ablaze.
• Winter: gray and white for snow.

These combinations, with poetic names such as “Plum Blossom Mist” or “Morning Snow,” reflected the Japanese sensitivity to impermanence — mono no aware (物の哀れ).

Ultimately, these color combinations reflect a simple but essential belief: humans are not separate from nature. By choosing the right color at the right time, we align ourselves with the invisible flow of the world—what the Japanese call wa (和), universal harmony.

The kimono then becomes a silent meditation: a way of inhabiting time, of feeling the breath of the world rather than dominating it.

A well-chosen kimono does not express the ego, but the perfect harmony between the heart and nature.

The kimono as an inner mirror

Beyond symbols, seasons, and court etiquette, the kimono remains an intimate affair. Beneath its folds and colors, it reveals something invisible: the state of mind of the person wearing it.

In Japanese culture, beauty is not an external ornament, but a reflection of inner harmony—a way of being fair, humble, and at peace with the world.

Wearing a kimono is much more than an aesthetic gesture: it is a personal language. Each shade, each pattern conveys a nuance of feeling, an intention.

A bright red can express joy or determination; a deep blue, serenity or restraint; a soft green, the desire for harmony.

In traditional Japan, the choice of color reflected a stage of life:

• A young woman showed her freshness and vitality through bright colors.
• A mature wife favored sober tones, symbols of stability.
• An elderly person wore soft, sometimes grayish shades, evoking quiet wisdom.

But this language goes beyond social codes. It relates to kokoro (心)—the heart, mind, and soul. Color becomes an extension of oneself, a way of expressing what cannot be said.

In Japan, kimonos are not worn to attract attention, but to silently express one's relationship with the world.

The Japanese relationship with color is thus inseparable from a search for inner balance. A “beautiful” color is not one that catches the eye, but one that resonates just right. This resonance is expressed through three fundamental concepts:

• Wabi (侘): beauty in simplicity, embracing imperfection.
• Sabi (寂): the patina of time, the serenity of aging.
• Wa (和): harmony between people, things, and nature.

In kimonos, these values are reflected in muted colors, measured contrasts, and natural materials. The art of the dyer, like that of the calligrapher, consists of allowing the void to breathe. Japanese beauty arises from the silence between colors, just as music arises from the silence between notes.

This is why the kimono is perceived as a spiritual medium: an object that combines sensitivity and meditation. When wearing it, one is in tune with the moment, listening to the world.

In contemporary society, the kimono is no longer an everyday garment. However, when a Japanese man or woman wears it today, the gesture retains its sacred dimension. It connects them to the past, to their lineage, to the invisible order of things. It is a return to oneself, a reminder of one's origins, a moment of peace in a hurried world.

The colors chosen are no longer dictated by rank, but by emotion. A midnight blue kimono for sobriety, a pale pink for softness, a moss green for serenity. Each shade becomes an inner conversation, a whisper between body and mind.

Thus, the kimono continues to convey an age-old wisdom: that beauty is not conquered, it is listened to.

And that through the silent play of colors, human beings can still rediscover what is most precious to them—harmony between themselves and the world.