Kamakura era
Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金
The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.
#D4AF37
yellow · 1 palette
Kin
金
Gold
About Kin
Kin (金) is a mid-tone, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #D4AF37 — that is
RGB 212, 175, 55, or HSL 46°, 65%, 52%.
Gold.
It holds 10.0:1 contrast against dark, so Kin works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.1:1; on black 10.0:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kin appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Shu and Kuro.
Colours that go with Kin
From a standard colour wheel, Kin anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#D4AF37 #375CD4
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#D4AF37 #D46137 #AAD437
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#D4AF37 #37D4AF #AF37D4
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#D4AF37 #37AAD4 #6137D4
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kin
Kin is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 46°, 65%, 52%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (10.0:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#375CD4) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#D46137 and #AAD437) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Kin
Kin appears in 1 combination from the archive.
From the archive
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- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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