In the Kofun (tumulus) period, beni had not been introduced into Japan yet and people used mineral pigments such as minium and cinnabar to decorate their bodies with red, and noble men mainly applied such pigments to their faces and bodies in order to enhance their vitality.
日本に紅が伝来する前の古墳時代において身を飾る赤といえば丹や朱と呼ばれる鉱物性の顔料であり、多くは身分の高い男性が顔や体に塗りつけ己の生命力を増強する目的で用いられた。