taisha 代赭

Red ochre. A red pigment whose main component is ferric oxide (haematite), Fe203. Used in Japanese style painting *nihonga 日本画. The color varies from a yellowish-red to a brownish-red depending on the exact composition of the soil from which it is taken. The name taisha is derived from the Chinese province Taishū 代州 (Ch: Daizhou) where it was produced, and sha 赭 meaning red. 

The term taisha is sometimes used synonymously with *bengara 弁柄, a pigment *ganryō 顔料 with the same chemical base originally imported from Bengal, India, and used in paints, ceramic glazes, and overglaze enamels.