Sumi

墨

Ink black

Palettes with Sumi

Sumi appears in 10 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.

Edo era

The faded blue of Shinsengumi jackets against shrine-gate vermillion — restrained power.

Heian era

Imperial purple set against lunar silver — Heian courtly luxury at its quietest.

Kamakura era

Young shoot green against sumi ink — the two extremes of the Japanese calligrapher's world.

Edo era

The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.

Kamakura era

The dense orange-red of lead oxide pigment struck against ink black.

Edo era

The warm brown of a kite's wing lit by afternoon gold.

Heian era

The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.

Muromachi era

The deep violet of the bellflower set against ink — formal, discreet.

Meiji era

The darkest indigo against unbleached cream — the color of a Meiji schoolboy's uniform.

Edo era

The cool Edo purple worn by kabuki actors against mouse grey — theatrical understatement.

From the archive

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