Collection · 15 palettes

Nature Color Palettes

Mosses, matcha, bark, stone — the colors of the Japanese countryside.

Japanese color tradition is inseparably tied to the natural world. Color names reference specific plants, bark patterns, seasonal phenomena, and geological materials. Moegi is the first green of new growth. Tokiwa is the evergreen of pine that persists through winter. Seiji is the pale grey-green of celadon pottery, derived from the ash that fell on the kiln. These aren't nature-inspired — they are nature, translated into pigment. Use them for botanical brands, environmental organizations, outdoor goods, garden design, landscape architecture, natural cosmetics, and any project that needs the credibility of the natural world rather than its decoration.

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.

Edo era

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

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

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

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.

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.

Edo era

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

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

Edo era

Kerria Gold & Chestnut— 山吹と栗

The bright gold of the kerria flower against the warm brown of roasted chestnut.

Edo era

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

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

Muromachi era

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

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

Edo era

Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍

Warm turmeric yellow against true indigo — the everyday textile of Japanese farm life.

Showa era

Cossack Green & Vandar Poel's Blue

Plate 5 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cossack Green, Vandar Poel's Blue.

Showa era

Diamine Green & Deep Lyons Blue

Plate 38 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Diamine Green, Deep Lyons Blue.

Showa era

Turquoise Green & Green Blue

Plate 74 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Turquoise Green, Green Blue.

Showa era

Rainette Green & Salvia Blue +1

Plate 188 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Rainette Green, Salvia Blue, Cobalt Green.

Showa era

Turquoise Green & Cobalt Green +1

Plate 202 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Turquoise Green, Cobalt Green, Slate Color.

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

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