Muromachi era
Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨
The deep violet of the bellflower set against ink — formal, discreet.
#5B4B8A
blue · 1 palette
Kikyō
桔梗
Bellflower purple
About Kikyō
Kikyō (桔梗) is a mid-tone, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #5B4B8A — that is
RGB 91, 75, 138, or HSL 255°, 30%, 42%.
Bellflower purple.
It holds 7.5:1 contrast against white, so Kikyō works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 7.5:1; on black 2.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kikyō appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Sumi and Gin.
Colours that go with Kikyō
From a standard colour wheel, Kikyō anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#5B4B8A #7A8A4B
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#5B4B8A #4B5B8A #7A4B8A
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#5B4B8A #8A5B4B #4B8A5B
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#5B4B8A #8A7A4B #5B8A4B
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kikyō
Kikyō is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 255°, 30%, 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 (7.5:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#7A8A4B) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4B5B8A and #7A4B8A) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Kikyō
Kikyō appears in 1 combination from the archive.
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
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- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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