What is in the "Black Color Palettes" collection?

Black Color Palettes is a curated collection of 16 historical color palettes from Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933). Sumi ink, lacquer, and the weight of restraint.

Can I embed or share the "Black Color Palettes" collection?

Yes. Use the embed iframe (560×320) shown on the page for blogs, Notion pages, or design reviews. Each embedded palette links back to its full detail page. Share image (1200×630) auto-generated per collection. License: CC BY 4.0.

Where does the "Black Color Palettes" source material come from?

Source: Sanzo Wada, "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). The Wada catalog is in the public domain. Curation, descriptions, and groupings here are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

Collection · 16 palettes

Black Color Palettes

Q: How was the "Black Color Palettes" collection curated?

Editorial curation by colorcombinations.org. Black in the Japanese color tradition is not a single shade — it is a spectrum from the grey-smoke of sumi (墨) ink diluted with water, to the deep pitch of shikkoku (漆黒), the lacquer black prized in Heian court objects. A black palette in Wada's system always carries a companion: a warm ivory to show the ink's depth, a vermilion accent to activate the void, or a silver-grey that makes the darkness feel luminous rather than heavy. These combinations are the backbone of editorial design, luxury brand identities, and any interface where contrast does the communicating. Palettes are grouped by thematic resonance — mood, era, or visual language — not algorithmic similarity.

Sumi ink, lacquer, and the weight of restraint.

Black in the Japanese color tradition is not a single shade — it is a spectrum from the grey-smoke of sumi (墨) ink diluted with water, to the deep pitch of shikkoku (漆黒), the lacquer black prized in Heian court objects. A black palette in Wada's system always carries a companion: a warm ivory to show the ink's depth, a vermilion accent to activate the void, or a silver-grey that makes the darkness feel luminous rather than heavy. These combinations are the backbone of editorial design, luxury brand identities, and any interface where contrast does the communicating.

Kamakura era

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.

Kamakura era

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

The dense orange-red of lead oxide pigment struck against ink black.

Kamakura era

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

Young shoot green against sumi ink — the two extremes of the Japanese calligrapher's world.

Muromachi era

Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨

The deep violet of the bellflower set against ink — formal, discreet.

Heian era

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.

Edo era

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Mid-grade indigo with the quiet sheen of silver — an understated Edo merchant robe.

Edo era

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

The faded blue of Shinsengumi jackets against shrine-gate vermillion — restrained power.

Edo era

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.

Edo era

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

The deep lake crimson of cochineal against pine needle green — winter evergreen.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Oil Green +2

Plate 245 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Oil Green, Dark Tyrian Blue, Slate Color.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Pale Burnt Lake +2

Plate 269 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Pale Burnt Lake, Aconite Violet, Black.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Sepia +2

Plate 288 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Orange, Sepia, Taupe Brown, Black.

Showa era

Carmine & Yellow +2

Plate 313 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Yellow, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Vandyke Red & Dull Viridian Green +2

Plate 316 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Dull Viridian Green, Violet, Red Violet.

Showa era

Light Brownish Olive & Blackish Olive +2

Plate 318 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brownish Olive, Blackish Olive, Dusky Green, Deep Slate Green.

Showa era

Olive Buff & Cossack Green +2

Plate 348 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Olive Buff, Cossack Green, Deep Slate Olive, Cotinga Purple.

Embed this collection

Drop a preview of this collection into any blog post, Notion page, or design review. Each palette links back to its full detail page.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/collection/black/" width="560" height="320" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Black Color Palettes — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

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From the archive

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues

See what's inside

Launching soon. The free archive stays free, always.

Library

Colour books worth owning

The theory and reference behind palettes like this — recommended on Amazon.

Kassia St. Clair

The Secret Lives of Color

Penguin, 2017.

Seventy-five individual colors, each with a short history. Reads like a cabinet of curiosities.

View on Amazon
Victoria Finlay

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

Random House, 2004.

Investigative travelogue through dye sources — indigo farms, lapis mines, safflower fields. The journey of kurenai.

View on Amazon
Stella Paul

Chromaphilia

Phaidon, 2017.

240 artworks organized by color. A visual counterpart to Wada's dictionary.

View on Amazon

Book links are Amazon Associates affiliate links. Your price is unchanged; a small commission supports the archive. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Black Color Palettes

Share this collection

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

Carmine Red & Oil Green +2

Raw Sienna & Pale Burnt Lake +2

Yellow Orange & Sepia +2

Carmine & Yellow +2

Vandyke Red & Dull Viridian Green +2

Light Brownish Olive & Blackish Olive +2

Olive Buff & Cossack Green +2

Embed this collection

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

The Secret Lives of Color

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

Chromaphilia

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