What is in the "Color Palettes for Websites" collection?

Color Palettes for Websites is a curated collection of 24 historical color palettes from Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933). Historically-grounded palettes that read well on screens at any scale.

Can I embed or share the "Color Palettes for Websites" 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 "Color Palettes for Websites" 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

Color Palettes for Websites

Q: How was the "Color Palettes for Websites" collection curated?

Editorial curation by colorcombinations.org. A curated shortlist of combinations that work on the web without compromise. Strong enough contrast for body text, warm enough for hero sections, restrained enough to avoid the tech-bro gradient look. Every palette comes with hex values, Tailwind config, and CSS variables — drop them into any project. Palettes are grouped by thematic resonance — mood, era, or visual language — not algorithmic similarity.

Historically-grounded palettes that read well on screens at any scale.

A curated shortlist of combinations that work on the web without compromise. Strong enough contrast for body text, warm enough for hero sections, restrained enough to avoid the tech-bro gradient look. Every palette comes with hex values, Tailwind config, and CSS variables — drop them into any project.

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

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

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

Muromachi era

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.

Edo era

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

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

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.

Heian era

Ao & White— 青と白

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

Meiji era

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

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

Heian era

Cherry Blossom & Young Bamboo— 桜と若竹

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

Kamakura era

Ultramarine & Chalk White— 群青と胡粉

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

Kamakura era

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

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

Heian era

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

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

Heian era

Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色

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

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

Wisteria & Indigo— 藤と藍

The soft lavender of wisteria blossoms against deep indigo.

Edo era

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

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

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

Sky Blue & Vermillion— 空と朱

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

Heian era

Valerian Yellow & Pale Blue— 女郎花と浅葱

The yellow of autumn valerian against late-summer sky.

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.

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/websites/" width="560" height="320" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Color Palettes for Websites — 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.

Color Palettes for Websites

Share this collection

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Ao & White— 青と白

Deep Indigo & Cream— 紺と生成

Cherry Blossom & Young Bamboo— 桜と若竹

Ultramarine & Chalk White— 群青と胡粉

Spring Green & Ink— 萌黄と墨

Lapis & Chalk— 瑠璃と胡粉

Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色

Matcha & Raw Silk— 抹茶と生成

Wisteria & Indigo— 藤と藍

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨

Light Pink & Tea— 薄紅と茶

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

Sky Blue & Vermillion— 空と朱

Valerian Yellow & Pale Blue— 女郎花と浅葱

Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠

English Red & Cerulian Blue

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Embed this collection

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