Japanese traditional architecture, Vermilion gates at Fushimi Inari

The red color has different, profound meanings in many cultures. In Japan, a particular shade of red, Vermilion - sRGB (227, 66, 52), is so present throughout the Japanese landscape that one can say that this is a color defining Japan.

The reason of this popularity lies in the Shinto religion, where vermilion is the color which expels evil and diseases. That's why the Shinto torii are often painted in this shade and in some cases entire architectural complexes, like the one in the photo, are colored vermilion...