What is in the "Ocean Color Palettes" collection?

Ocean Color Palettes is a curated collection of 20 historical color palettes from Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933). Deep-water blues, seafoam, and the colors the sea turns at dusk.

Can I embed or share the "Ocean 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 "Ocean 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 · 20 palettes

Ocean Color Palettes

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

Editorial curation by colorcombinations.org. The Japanese coast has its own color vocabulary: the deep ruri blue of open water, the hazy asagi of sky meeting sea, the ao that hovers between green and blue and names both at once, the pale foam-white against rocky black. These combinations work for coastal brands, marine organizations, spa and wellness, beach resort identity, surf culture, seafood restaurants, and any project that needs the emotional weight of large water — without the corporate navy cliché. Palettes are grouped by thematic resonance — mood, era, or visual language — not algorithmic similarity.

Deep-water blues, seafoam, and the colors the sea turns at dusk.

The Japanese coast has its own color vocabulary: the deep ruri blue of open water, the hazy asagi of sky meeting sea, the ao that hovers between green and blue and names both at once, the pale foam-white against rocky black. These combinations work for coastal brands, marine organizations, spa and wellness, beach resort identity, surf culture, seafood restaurants, and any project that needs the emotional weight of large water — without the corporate navy cliché.

Heian era

Ao & White— 青と白

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

Heian era

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

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

Edo era

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

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

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

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

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

Kamakura era

Ultramarine & Chalk White— 群青と胡粉

The deep ultramarine of Buddhist mineral pigment against temple chalk white.

Edo era

Sky Blue & Vermillion— 空と朱

Clear sky blue against shrine-gate vermillion — a New Year morning.

Meiji era

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

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

Showa era

Benzol Green & Grayish Lavender - A

Plate 15 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Benzol Green, Grayish Lavender - A.

Showa era

Light Porcelain Green & Olympic Blue

Plate 44 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Porcelain Green, Olympic Blue.

Showa era

Pale King's Blue & Blue

Plate 49 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale King's Blue, Blue.

Showa era

Benzol Green & Light Glaucous Blue

Plate 54 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Benzol Green, Light Glaucous Blue.

Showa era

Olympic Blue & Dark Tyrian Blue

Plate 67 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Olympic Blue, Dark Tyrian Blue.

Showa era

Pale King's Blue & Violet Blue

Plate 75 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale King's Blue, Violet Blue.

Showa era

Antwarp Blue & Dull Violet Black

Plate 106 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Antwarp Blue, Dull Violet Black.

Showa era

Light Glaucous Blue & Dark Tyrian Blue

Plate 119 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Glaucous Blue, Dark Tyrian Blue.

Showa era

Salvia Blue & Deep Indigo +1

Plate 139 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Salvia Blue, Deep Indigo, Neutral Gray.

Showa era

Blue & Lilac +1

Plate 143 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Blue, Lilac, Warm Gray.

Showa era

Helvetia Blue & Grayish Lavender - B +1

Plate 187 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Helvetia Blue, Grayish Lavender - B, Aconite Violet.

Showa era

Helvetia Blue & Grayish Lavender - A +1

Plate 218 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Helvetia Blue, Grayish Lavender - A, Deep Violet / Plumbeous.

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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

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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.

Ocean Color Palettes

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Ao & White— 青と白

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Ultramarine & Chalk White— 群青と胡粉

Sky Blue & Vermillion— 空と朱

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

Benzol Green & Grayish Lavender - A

Light Porcelain Green & Olympic Blue

Pale King's Blue & Blue

Benzol Green & Light Glaucous Blue

Olympic Blue & Dark Tyrian Blue

Pale King's Blue & Violet Blue

Antwarp Blue & Dull Violet Black

Light Glaucous Blue & Dark Tyrian Blue

Salvia Blue & Deep Indigo +1

Blue & Lilac +1

Helvetia Blue & Grayish Lavender - B +1

Helvetia Blue & Grayish Lavender - A +1

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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