What is in the "Japanese Color Palettes" collection?

Japanese Color Palettes is a curated collection of 24 historical color palettes from Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933). Wada's 1933 dictionary — the definitive source for Japanese color tradition.

Can I embed or share the "Japanese 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 "Japanese 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 · 24 palettes

Japanese Color Palettes

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

Editorial curation by colorcombinations.org. The Japanese color tradition is one of the most precisely named and historically layered in the world. The Heian court codified hundreds of kasane no irome — seasonal layered robe combinations. The Edo merchant class developed its own restrained vocabulary of deep indigos, warm browns, and muted golds as a counter-aesthetic to imperial display. Sanzo Wada documented 348 of these combinations in 1933, drawing on that entire tradition. This collection covers the full breadth: court colors from the 8th century through industrial-era textile palettes from the early 20th. Each one is historically grounded, named in both Japanese and English, and immediately usable. Palettes are grouped by thematic resonance — mood, era, or visual language — not algorithmic similarity.

Wada's 1933 dictionary — the definitive source for Japanese color tradition.

The Japanese color tradition is one of the most precisely named and historically layered in the world. The Heian court codified hundreds of kasane no irome — seasonal layered robe combinations. The Edo merchant class developed its own restrained vocabulary of deep indigos, warm browns, and muted golds as a counter-aesthetic to imperial display. Sanzo Wada documented 348 of these combinations in 1933, drawing on that entire tradition. This collection covers the full breadth: court colors from the 8th century through industrial-era textile palettes from the early 20th. Each one is historically grounded, named in both Japanese and English, and immediately usable.

Heian era

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

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

Heian era

Cherry Blossom & Young Bamboo— 桜と若竹

The softest pink of cherry blossoms set beside young bamboo green — spring, captured.

Heian era

Wisteria & Indigo— 藤と藍

The soft lavender of wisteria blossoms against deep indigo.

Muromachi era

Matcha & Raw Silk— 抹茶と生成

Whisked matcha green against the color of raw silk — the still life of a tea bowl.

Heian era

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

Lapis lazuli blue against oyster-shell white — the color of Buddhist scripture.

Kamakura era

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

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

Kamakura era

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

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

Meiji era

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

The darkest indigo against unbleached cream — the color of a Meiji schoolboy's uniform.

Edo era

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

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

Muromachi era

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Wild grass yellow tempered by the muted grey favored by the tea master Sen no Rikyū.

Heian era

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Imperial purple set against lunar silver — Heian courtly luxury at its quietest.

Muromachi era

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.

Heian era

Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色

The soft pink of wild dianthus beside the translucent blue of mountain water.

Edo era

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

The warm brown of a kite's wing lit by afternoon gold.

Heian era

Ao & White— 青と白

The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.

Muromachi era

Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨

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

Edo era

Light Pink & Tea— 薄紅と茶

A whisper of pink against tea brown — the tone of an Edo-period lacquer sweet box.

Muromachi era

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

The dark brown of scorched wood against unbleached hemp — quiet materials.

Edo era

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

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

Edo era

Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠

The cool Edo purple worn by kabuki actors against mouse grey — theatrical understatement.

Showa era

English Red & Cerulian Blue

Plate 1 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — English Red, Cerulian Blue.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Plate 2 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Orange, Dark Tyrian Blue.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Pale Lemon Yellow

Plate 3 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Pale Lemon Yellow.

Showa era

Isabella Color & Red Violet

Plate 4 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Isabella Color, Red Violet.

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/japanese/" width="560" height="320" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Japanese Color Palettes — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

Preview

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.

Japanese Color Palettes

Share this collection

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Cherry Blossom & Young Bamboo— 桜と若竹

Wisteria & Indigo— 藤と藍

Matcha & Raw Silk— 抹茶と生成

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

Ao & White— 青と白

Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨

Light Pink & Tea— 薄紅と茶

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠

English Red & Cerulian Blue

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Raw Sienna & Pale Lemon Yellow

Isabella Color & Red Violet

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

Looking for a combination we don’t have yet?