Ruri is lapis lazuli, considered one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. It is the blue of sutra frontispieces and deity robes. Against gofun, the matte white of temple painting, it reads as devotional, timeless, and unmistakably sacred.
Where it works
Sacred music, liturgical publishing
Luxury stationery
Museum catalogues
Historical context
This palette is inspired by the tradition of Sanzo Wada's 1933
Dictionary of Color Combinations, which cataloged combinations
drawn from centuries of Japanese cultural life. The specific colors
here use traditional shikisai names that have been in the public
domain for generations.
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