Sanzo Wada
ColorCombinations
A free, unofficial companion to A Dictionary of Color Combinations. All 348 of Sanzo Wada’s combinations and 159 colors, read page by page on any screen.
Open the bookWhat’s inside
- 001–120Combinations of two colors
- 121–240Combinations of three colors
- 241–348Combinations of four colors
- IndexAll 159 colors in six families, each with its CMYK recipe, RGB and HEX values, and every combination it appears in
Drag a page to turn it, or use the arrows and arrow keys. Select any swatch to see its values and its combinations as color strips. Add the site to your home screen to use it like an app; it works offline after the first visit.
Who was Sanzo Wada?
Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) was a Japanese painter, teacher and costume designer. He won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the film Gate of Hell, and in 1927 he founded the Japan Standard Color Association, the forerunner of today’s Japan Color Research Institute.
His six small volumes of color combinations, Haishoku Soukan, appeared in 1933–34. They are still used by designers and artists as a source of tested, harmonious palettes.
The original
Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) was a Japanese painter, teacher and costume designer. In 1933–34 he published Haishoku Soukan, six small volumes of color combinations. Seigensha’s A Dictionary of Color Combinations (ISBN 978-4-86152-247-5) brings 348 of them together in print, and it is a beautiful object worth owning.
About the colors
Every color and combination number was checked against the book’s printed color index. Screen colors are converted from the CMYK recipes with a generic print profile, so they are close to the printed swatches but not identical. Use the CMYK values for print work.
Frequently asked
What is A Dictionary of Color Combinations?
A book of 348 color combinations drawn from Sanzo Wada’s six-volume Haishoku Soukan of 1933–34, published in print by Seigensha.
How many combinations and colors are there?
348 combinations built from 159 colors: 120 use two colors, 120 use three and 108 use four.
Are the HEX codes exact?
They are close but not exact. The book gives each color as a CMYK print recipe, and the screen values here are converted from it with a standard print profile. Use the CMYK values for print work.
Is this the official book?
No. This is a free, unofficial companion and is not affiliated with Seigensha or with Sanzo Wada’s estate. The printed book is available from Seigensha.
About me
I made this edition as a free, quiet way to read and use Wada’s combinations on any screen: a book that turns like paper on a phone, with every value a tap away. It has no ads and no tracking.
Rights and removal
This is an unofficial, non-commercial edition. It is not affiliated with Seigensha or with Sanzo Wada’s estate, and it contains no scans or text from the printed book. If you hold rights to this material and want anything changed or removed, open an issue on GitHub.