ebi 蒲萄

1　Also ebi-iro 蒲萄色 or 葡萄色. A reddish -purple dye use in the Asuka and Nara periods, and the name of the color produced. Ebi is the old name for the grapevine, budō 葡萄, and the dye was originally made from the wild vine, yamabudō 山葡萄, using lye as a mordant. Ebi dye was subdivided into a light and dark shade, and in the Heian period the light shade became generally known as ebi.

2　The name of a color combination of layered robes used in Heian period, kasane no irome 襲の色目. The outer fabric of a garment was purple and its lining red, or the outer fabric was dark red and the lining light blue. Worn by both men and women. Ebi also describes a woven fabric which has a red warp and pale-purple weft.