I was raised in religious circonstance. My kindergarten was in Bouddhique temple. I learned all taboos there.
One of taboo was not to write your name with red ink. I write it down here, probably it can help someone.
This is not only pupils taboo but this seems real taboo in Japanese tradition.
One day, my grand-mother noticed and confirmed this founding an envelope to my sister with her name in red.
They say that it is a bad omen.
They say that this is because red inspires us blood, which is impure in Shinto.
Reason the most resembling is that bushi (warrior) writes their letter of challenge to their rival in vermillon. (In Japanese calligraphy, you use two colours: black and red-orange).
I've never heard this outside of my hometown, but people outside certainly knows this. I've never seen people writing their name in red. I even don't like to write in pink or in orange.
Actually these taboos or silent rule are present in kagura tradition. People are vert talkative when they explain things important TO DO. But the things most difficult to discover is "what they don't consciously". It's really natural for them NOT TO DO, they even don't think it important.
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