Murasaki

“紫のひともとゆへにむさし野の草はみながらあはれとぞみる。” Murasaki, Japanese name むらさき, meaning is purple. In the Heian period of Japan, clothes dyed and woven with pigments made from dried comfrey roots were only available to the imperial family. Because comfrey cannot be cultivated artificially, and the roots of comfrey are sensitive to high temperature, at that time, in order to dye beautiful purple, the temperature must be controlled below 60 degrees Celsius today, which is very difficult to obtain. As a symbol of noble status, purple combines the enthusiasm of red with the coldness of blue, so purple also links love and karma. Shiseido names a perfume after "purple", what special meaning does it have behind it? When I was wearing むらさき, I turned to the page of The Tale of Genji. beauty and sadness are vivid on the paper, which makes me like むらさき more and more. The Tale of Genji, also known as "Purple Monogatari", was written by the author, Shikibu Murasaki. The three beautiful women in the book are all related to purple. My むらさき is the earliest version of EDP, the floral fragrance is even and gorgeous, deep, depressed, melancholy. I don't think any floral scent stands out, except for hyacinth, which is so high-key that it's hard not to notice. The dusty feeling of orris root is suppressed, expressing "quietness". The rich roses, jasmine and lily of the valley express "elegance". Shiseido's fragrances are restrained in temperament, and perfumers are good at expressing subtle feminine moods. In the courtyard, the flowers are gradually charmin, that was a beautiful woman walking towards me with a smile.

I discovered Murasaki in the late 1990s thanks to a tipoff from a perfume store owner who lamented that it was her all-time fave and she couldn't find any. Well, a phone call or two to Hawaii, and my first bottles were on their way. When Ebay came on the scene, I again used that to stockpile more of it. It is a fabulous wet (ie not dry)green floral fragrance using an oakmoss base. It is not a dark scent as someone above described. It isn't leathery either, unless the orris note is what someone thinks of as a leather note. I cannot wear leathery perfumes so the fact that this is such a favorite must indicate something. It is not as dry and ascetic as Chanel #19 or Vent Vert. The only scents to which I could compare it somewhat are Heure Exquise, which has a bit more rosy quality, possibly Goutal's Passion, minus some thickness in the base (maybe vanilla?), and fragrances probably no one here has ever heard of. Other positives for me about Murasaki are that it does not have a predominant sandalwood or cedar component. Ivoire is somewhat similar, but contains a more elaborate floral note as well as a bit of the pencil-shaving aspect of cedar. When I wore it to work, people commented that they were sure I was wearing Chanel #5, so perhaps they smelled the aldehydes in the topnote? I don't like Chanel #5, have never been able to smell anything floral in it at all, for some reason, and have never been able to see what the fuss was about. I'm hoping these comments will help someone with similar skin to find their way to this lovely iris fragrance.

Okay, I'm a wonk and had to look up the word "murasaki" since perfume has both a deep, almost primitive, sensual appeal and enough chemistry and history to be intellectually interesting. "Murasaki" translates literally as "purple" but also refers to the 11th century royal court figure who wrote "Tale of Ghenj" a complicated love story. Okay, got that out of my system. This perfume is green, green, green in its opening; razor sharp and cold for a few minutes. After this clears the orris and amber come up, enriching it but still cold. After about half an hour the other flowers, vetiver and musk came in, making this rich, complex and challenging. After two three hours it's settled into a close powdery floral with some skin warmth. What's only notionally here is the oakmoss. This is probably what the vintage lovers are mourning. Since I haven't smelled a good version of the vintage I'll say my experience with this is: I like it a lot and I generally don't take to green scents. I'd recommend it to anyone experienced with perfumes. If you're new to green scents I'd suggest a sample since the ingredients are good and it's somewhat expensive. (I'm wearing non-vintage EDP after a disappointing go-round with a spoiled vintage bottle.) I now need to go add the lovely watercolors and block prints of the Lady Murasaki I found while looking it up to my Facebook page. Sillage: initially big, pulls back to skin after an hour Duration: mediocre, 2-4 hours Fabulosity: the Northern Lights Value to price ratio: reasonable 6/10

Got this one blindly on a whim...the price was too good to pass it by. The bottle looks so cute and innocent....but what's inside the bottle is some serious stuff! Wow, this fragrance had quite an impact on me. There is something slightly reminiscent of Zen, that mossy note, but to me Murasaki is very along the lines of Niki Saint Phalle, but with it's own unique personality. This is a very intriguing and mysterious fragrance, complex and rich. I would say it can be easily worn by men. Imagine standing in the middle of an Amazonian rainforest early in the morning when everything is enveloped in mysterious mist. You hear the spound of water, some exotic birds and animals in the distance, but you can't see far through the mist. You feel transfixed,mesmerized and disoriented. You take a deep breath and you get light-headed from the freshness and pureness of the air. That's how Murasaki smells like to me. Excellent sillage and longevity!

I think I first acquired this lovely fragrance in the mid-80s, and have since collected a couple of the lovely vintage bottles (nearly full), much prettier than the new packaging, and I haven't smelled the current version so I don't know if it has changed, but I don't care as long as I have the vintage. The perfect scent for a Springtime afternoon. The dry-down is wonderful.