Kamakura era
Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金
The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.
#141414
neutral · 1 palette
Kuro
黒
Lacquer black
About Kuro
Kuro (黒) is a deep, near-neutral neutral tone. Its hex value is #141414 — that is
RGB 20, 20, 20, or HSL 0°, 0%, 8%.
Lacquer black.
It holds 18.4:1 contrast against white, so Kuro works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 18.4:1; on black 1.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kuro appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Shu and Kin.
The story of Kuro
Kuro (黒) is black — but Japanese tradition distinguishes several blacks, and kuro is the everyday one: closer to Indian ink with a slight warmth, less absolute than printer's black. Used for kimono base colour in formal mourning (where it's worn paired with white only), for crests (mon) on white silk, and for the structural lines in calligraphy and ink-wash painting (sumi-e).
Where sumi (墨, ink) is the calligraphy-specific black with sheen and depth, kuro is the broader 'black' of textile and lacquer. Modern usage: luxury packaging, premium menswear, editorial design — kuro reads warmer than Western black, especially when paired with cream rather than pure white.
Colours that go with Kuro
As a deep near-neutral, Kuro sits comfortably beside almost any accent — the schemes below show the subtle, reliable pairings from a standard colour wheel.
Complementary
#141414 #141414
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#141414 #141414 #141414
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#141414 #141414 #141414
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#141414 #141414 #141414
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kuro
Kuro is a deep, near-neutral tone (HSL 0°, 0%, 8%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (18.4:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#141414) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#141414 and #141414) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Kuro
Kuro appears in 1 combination from the archive.
From the archive
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