Colour connotations in Japanese language?


In English cultures there is a thin line (that usually isn't crossed) between
symbolism (usually used in visual arts) and lingual connotation which is
usually used in creative writing, and colour is a large medium for both. Lets
take blue for example. In a painting I would use blue to represent eternity, a
sort of ongoing feeling; like that of the sky or ocean. In a story or a poem I
would use blue to signify depression or solemness. I have looked for something
like the Japanese equivalent but I have only found Japanese colour symbolism.

Colours are used often to represent ideas and social attitudes, like gold
commonly being the iconic colour of Buddhism in older Japanese art, and blue
sometimes representing daily life (because indigo dye was very common).
However, what I want to know is if colour didn't just serve symbolic use in
visual art, but in writing as well. Does Japanese have different lingual
connotations for the colours that are separate from the connotation used in
symbolism? If possible could you give an example and any helpful resources?

**Edit:** I'm asking if there is any symbolic use of colours in Japanese
_language_ , separate from the symbolic use of and meaning derived from colour
symbolism in imagery, like in the example with blue written above.




Okay, I still don't really understand what you are asking, but I guess the
only way to find out is to try a few examples to see if any one matches your
criteria.

  * 赤 is often used to mean _bareness_ and _nakedness_ : 赤子(baby) 赤裸々(blunt) 赤貧 (very poor). Not sure about the origin, but can't think of any obvious visual origin to this meaning.

  * 白 is used to represent innocence as in 「あいつはシロだ」. Originally a police jargon but I think it's now common enough. More commonly written as シロ instead of 白. The meaning has obvious visual origin of white being pure. (クロ has the opposite meaning.)

