Edo era
Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠
The cool Edo purple worn by kabuki actors against mouse grey — theatrical understatement.
#5E4A8C
blue · 1 palette
Edo-murasaki
江戸紫
Edo purple
About Edo-murasaki
Edo-murasaki (江戸紫) is a mid-tone, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #5E4A8C — that is
RGB 94, 74, 140, or HSL 258°, 31%, 42%.
Edo purple.
It holds 7.4:1 contrast against white, so Edo-murasaki works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 7.4:1; on black 2.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Edo-murasaki appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Nezumi, Sumi and Kinari.
Colours that go with Edo-murasaki
From a standard colour wheel, Edo-murasaki anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#5E4A8C #788C4A
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#5E4A8C #4A578C #7F4A8C
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#5E4A8C #8C5E4A #4A8C5E
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#5E4A8C #8C7F4A #578C4A
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Edo-murasaki
Edo-murasaki is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 258°, 31%, 42%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (7.4:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#788C4A) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4A578C and #7F4A8C) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Edo-murasaki
Edo-murasaki appears in 1 combination from the archive.
From the archive
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