Eastern Elegance
Pink’s Influence in Japan & India
Unlike the contemporary Western associations of color with femininity, Asian countries viewed it as a symbol of power, honor, spirituality, and grandeur. Japan associated pink with its reverence for nature and philosophical ideals.
Cherry blossoms, or sakura, the acclaimed symbol within the culture, blush with delicate hues during spring. Buddhist and Samurai philosophy holds Sakura as representing the transient nature of life. (Origin, Meaning and Uses of Colours: Pink - IPCM, n.d.-b). Samurai warriors praised sakura for its momentary beauty, considering it as a metaphor for their existence, which was dedicated to duty, honor, and sacrifice. Akin to the sakura blooming beautifully before falling, the samurai embraced the idea of living and dying with dignity and purpose. (Village, 2025). However, there were blooms within the field of fashion as well. Kimonos often involved pink hues, anew signifying the high status. Men of high status, such as aristocrats and samurai, wore pink-dyed fabrics to represent refinement and power. There was a further reinforcement of the link of masculinity with pink by using a rare and expensive pigment termed benihana or safflower dye. It produced vivid pink and red shades over the garments and was a marker of wealth and sophistication, worn solely by the upper echelons of the society. (Admin & Admin, 2022).
In India, the domains of royalty, spirituality, and celebration were associated with the color pink. During the reign of the Mughals, maharajas and emperors favored the pink turbans, robes, and sashes to portray divine authority and regal status. The color’s royal connotation was not restricted to clothing; its representation as lux and grand was vivid in the walls of palaces and arts. A major testament to India’s favor for Pink lies in the Pink City of Jaipur. To show hospitality to the British Prince of Wales, the city was doused in pink in the 19th Century. The same walls today smell of hospitality, elegance, and royal heritage. (Allen, 2025).
Leaving the aesthetics behind, the spirituality and religious significance of the color was colossal. The rituals of Hindus often incorporated the color pink in divine iconography and traditions. Lord Ganesha and Lord Krishna have often been perceived in hues of pink, soaked in their unparalleled garments or decorated with pink flowers, knotting the color with joy, wisdom, and divine blessings. Furthermore, pink has a key role in the Hindu festival of Holi. This festival of colors is often celebrated with Gulal, or vibrant pink powder, thrown into the air, giving a breeze of love, renewal, and triumph of good over evil. Spreading its shades from the leaves of cherry blossoms and Buddhist philosophy to the royal reign of Mughals and Hindu spirituality, Pink had deep importance in the East and their cultures. Unassociated with fragility, pink’s presence in these societies signified power, honor, and sacred beauty, again, liberated from contemporary gendered associations.
