purple(murasaki)
At sushi restaurants, soy sauce is called “murasaki. There are various theories as to why this is so, the most well-known being that it is derived from the color of soy sauce. It originated in the Meiji period (1868-1912), when the color purple was reddish compared to today’s common purple, and the reddish-brown color of soy sauce was called “murasaki” (purple). Another theory is that the name was derived from the color purple, a symbol of nobility, because soy sauce was a luxury item during the Edo period when nigirizushi became popular among the townspeople.
