katekyū カテキュー

Catechu, cutch. A brown vegetable dye taken from a leguminous plant Acacia catechu wild, grown in S.E. Asia. The stems and leaves are harvested and dried, or made into cake form, and then boiled in water to extract the dye. First imported to Japan in the Nara period; most frequently used to dye cotton. A copper mordant produces a dark red color *hiwada-iro 桧皮色, an iron mordant produces a dark brown kogecha 焦げ茶, and an alum mordant gives a dark reddish-brown known as burnt umber kaba-iro 樺色.