A Dictionary of Color Combinations – Study Notes

Compiled originally as “Haishoku Soukan” (全6巻, 1933–1934, early Shōwa era).
Era characterised by tension (pre-/post-war Japan) AND rapid Westernisation; new visual sensibilities emerged.
Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) — painter, art–school instructor, theatre / movie costume designer, kimono & fashion designer.
• Recognised need for SYSTEMATIC studies of color harmony when the idea of “combinations” was still rare.
• Haishoku Soukan became a pioneering sampler of ready-made palettes.
2010: Seigensha Art Publishing issues a compact, digitised revision (ISBN 978-4-86152-247-5) titled “A Dictionary of Color Combinations”.
Intended uses: reference for designers, educators, students, artists; bridge between Taishō/ Shōwa aesthetic and modern practice.

Front matter (p. 1–14): Japanese & English titles, imprint, Internet-Archive digitisation note (2024), biography fragment in romaji.
Main body consists of COLOR PLATES grouped by the number of hues per scheme:
• 二色の配色 (2-color sets) — IDs 001–120.
• 三色の配色帖 (3-color sets) — IDs 121–180.
• 四色の配色帖 (4-color sets) — IDs 181–348.
Each plate contains:
• Large colour blocks side-by-side.
• Romanised colour name(s) + traditional Japanese name + English name.
• Running index number (001 – 348).
Back matter: CMYK conversion charts (pp. 260–283) giving approximate print values for every swatch.

Every swatch receives:
• Traditional Japanese name (e.g.
English Red ＝ “蒲色 / かばいろ”).
• English descriptive name (often natural/ historic references: “Olive Ocher”, “Pale Lemon Yellow”, “Dark Tyrian Blue”).
• Internal code — two or three letters plus digits (e.g. “ST < NEL”, “BPHDVNA”). These codes have no direct modern standard but act like catalog IDs.
Index numbers (001-348) are the primary lookup key throughout the book and CMYK appendix.

For each indexed colour, CMYK percentage is supplied so the palettes can be reconstructed in print.
Format pattern: “Color Name → C__ M__ Y__ K__”, e.g.
• Jasper Red → $C2\;M83\;Y100\;K0$
• Spectrum Red → $C5\;M100\;Y100\;K0$
• Pale Lemon Yellow → $C0\;M4\;Y38\;K0$
Colours grouped by hue families inside tables (Reds, Browns, Yellows, Greens, Blues, Violets, Neutrals).
Practical use: designers can enter CMYK directly into layout software, guaranteeing near-original appearance.

2-Color Sets (001-120)
• Emphasis on complementary or high-contrast duos:
– 001 “English Red” × “Cerulean Blue” (warm vs. cool)
– 010 “Violet Red” × “Cinnamon Rufous” (analogous red-violet range).
• Frequent neutral + accent pairings for typography or kimono obi/haori contrasts.
3-Color Sets (121-180)
• Triads and split-complements dominate.
– 129 “Khaki / Salvia Blue / Apricot Yellow” illustrates low-chroma triad.
– 135 “Dark Soft Violet / Pistachio Green / Golden Yellow” = classic triadic balance (violet-green-yellow).
4-Color Sets (181-348)
• More nuanced; often light-mid-dark variations plus one accent.
– 214 “Khaki / Ivory Buff / Sudan Brown / Violet” = earth-tone harmony with violet highlight.
– 310 “Olive / Pinkish Cinnamon / Deep Slate Olive / Sulphur Yellow” = muted military greens punctuated by yellow.

Traditional Japanese textiles: Raw Sienna, Naples Yellow, Indigo, Carmine mimic natural dyes (kakishibu, beni, ai).
Western fine-art influence: colours like “Vandyke Red”, “Sepia”, “Venice Green” reference European pigments.
Nature references: “Salvia Blue”, “Eupatorium Purple”, “Rainette Green”.
Architectural / archaeological: “Pompeian Red”, “Etruscan Red”, “Corinthian Pink”.

Many palettes anticipate Itten’s and Munsell’s later teaching on hue contrast, light–dark, saturation, and temperature.
Use of CMYK tables aligns with contemporary pre-press workflow; RGB equivalents can be derived via conversion formulas.
Study of these harmonies helps understand:
$\text{Perceived~Contrast} = |L<em>{1}-L</em>{2}| + k\cdot |C<em>{1}-C</em>{2}|$ (where $L$ = luminance, $C$ = chroma, $k$ adjustable) — Wada intuitively balanced these variables.

Designers: pick an index number, retrieve CMYK, apply as brand palette prototype.
Fashion / interior students: observe how muted tones (e.g.
Olive + Ecru) support bolder accents (Scarlet, Spectrum Red).
Exercise: reproduce Plate 001–010 digitally, practice naming and complementary logic.
Historical research: compare Wada’s palettes with 1930s kimono pattern books for cross-validation.

Ethical & Philosophical Considerations

Cultural appropriation: be mindful when adopting traditional Japanese colour names outside their context.
Sustainability: many historical pigments (e.g.
chrome yellow) are toxic; modern equivalents should be non-hazardous.

Sanzo Wada laid a foundational methodology for systematic color combination long before digital tools.
348 curated palettes illustrate timeless principles of harmony, contrast, saturation control, and thematic storytelling.
The revised edition provides modern CMYK translations, enabling faithful print reproduction.
Studying these combinations develops intuitive and analytical colour literacy essential for design, art, and cultural studies.