Michiko Fujiwara's "Color" Stories, Part 5: October – A Pale Purple Sunset
October 2008 Murasaki-iro no Yūhi (Pale Purple Sunset)
A series where Michiko Fujiwara, a celebrated hair and makeup artist, shares episodes related to "color."
How much drama does our sense of sight, one of our six senses, create in our daily lives? By feeling and savoring the colors that appear before our eyes, we create drama.
This month's theme is "pale purple." My heart leaps at the sunset show...
Text byMichiko FujiwaraPhoto by Jamandfix
Pale Purple Sunset
Perhaps it was when I moved to my current home nine years ago that I developed the habit of watching the sunset.
This is thanks to the environment: all the windows in my house face southwest, and there are no tall buildings nearby to obstruct the view, allowing me to fully enjoy the ever-changing spectacle.
One evening, I returned home and opened the front door to find the entire house bathed in orange light. I mistook it for a fire! My home is truly a prime location for watching the sunset.
Still, there is no show as magnificent as the sunset. It never fails to captivate, changing with the seasons, the daily weather, and moment by moment. Its spectacle is simply breathtaking. Dramatic reds, nostalgic pale yellows, deep blues that draw you in, noble pale purples... The sunset show is truly a glorious performance of colors.
If I had to pick my favorite sunset colors, they would probably be red and pale purple.
Red sunsets evoke an exciting, exhilarating feeling, while pale purple sunsets have a calming effect, allowing us to end the day with a sense of quiet dignity. If we were to compare them to women, a red sunset would be a passionate Latin beauty, and a pale purple sunset, a gracefully elegant Kyoto beauty.
If I asked men to choose between the two, they might say, "A fancy meal is nice sometimes, but too much of it gets tiresome. I prefer simple home cooking." In that sense, they might favor the pale purple sunset. ...This is purely wishful thinking, of course!
Speaking of which, the most moving pale purple sunset I ever witnessed was from above the sea of clouds on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
It was a beauty so profound, filled with nobility and a compassionate gentleness that enveloped me, that tears welled up in my eyes. I remember my mind becoming profoundly calm and serene on the way back, as if after a meditation. How much could people grow if they could achieve such inner peace every day?
But even knowing this, it's human nature to be foolish and endearing, making it difficult to live that way. As an ordinary person, I resolve to at least savor the sunsets visible from my home and keep my sense of wonder alive.