byakugun 白群

A pale blue pigment *ganryō 顔料, used in Japanese painting *nihonga 日本画. Byakugun is made by grinding down the dark blue pigment *gunjō 群青, which is an azurite or lapis lazuli powder. A range of blue tones can be achieved, as the smaller the particle size becomes, the lighter the color obtained. Paints made from insoluble mineral pigments like byakugun are known as *iwa-enogu 岩絵具.