The color Japanese carmine, shown in the color box, is called enji-iro (臙脂色) in Japanese, meaning 'cochineal/rouge color.' The term enji (臙脂) refers to rouge, the cosmetic, which historically was made from a dye produced by the cochineal insect, known as enji-mushi (臙脂虫). The name enji is derived from Yan, an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty, as the use of rouge in China is believed to have originated there and was later adopted in Japan.
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