noun
ungen dyeing; gradational dyeing technique
A traditional Japanese dyeing method producing a repeated gradation from dense to diffuse color, used in Buddhist art and temple decorations during the Nara and Heian periods.
繧繝は、奈良時代の仏教美術でよく見られる彩色技法です。
Ungen is a coloring technique often seen in Buddhist art of the Nara period.
この曼荼羅の縁取りには繧繝が使われている。
Ungen is used for the borders of this mandala.
Variant kanji form; 暈 suggests gradation.
暈し is a general term for blurring or gradation in art, while 繧繝 refers specifically to the historical repeated-gradation dyeing technique.
The term 繧繝 (ungen) is of uncertain origin, but it is a traditional Japanese art term. The kanji 繧 and 繝 are rare and used specifically for this technique.