Heian era
Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺
Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.
#1B2A4E
blue · 3 palettes
Kon
紺
Deep indigo navy
About Kon
Kon (紺) is a deep, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #1B2A4E — that is
RGB 27, 42, 78, or HSL 222°, 49%, 21%.
Deep indigo navy.
It holds 14.1:1 contrast against white, so Kon works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 14.1:1; on black 1.5:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kon appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Gofun, Kurenai and Daidai.
The story of Kon
Kon (紺) is deep navy — the darkest practical shade of indigo, the colour of dyed-and-redyed-and-redyed cotton until the fibres are nearly black. Used historically for samurai under-armour (because the blue-black colour hides bloodstains), Edo-period merchant workwear, and the deep-night skies in classical wood-block prints. Kon reads weighty, grounded, and authoritative in a way pure black does not.
Modern usage: business identity, premium menswear, heritage brands, editorial publishing. Kon is the 'corporate navy' of the Japanese tradition — but with depth and material warmth that synthetic navies lack.
Working note: Pairs canonically with kurenai (court formal — see Heian guide) or with gofun (clean modern). Both pairings preserve kon's gravitas.
Colours that go with Kon
From a standard colour wheel, Kon anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#1B2A4E #4E3F1B
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#1B2A4E #1B444E #261B4E
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#1B2A4E #4E1B2A #2A4E1B
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#1B2A4E #4E261B #434E1B
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kon
Kon is a deep, muted tone (HSL 222°, 49%, 21%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (14.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#4E3F1B) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#1B444E and #261B4E) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Kon
Kon appears in 3 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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