A Dictionary of
Color Combinations

About the Archive

Sanzo Wada and the Dictionary of Color Combinations

Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) was a Japanese painter, dyeing craftsman, and influential color theorist whose deep understanding of pigment and harmony informed a generation of Japanese designers, textile artists, and craftspeople.

His foundational work, Haishoku Soukan (配色総観), first published in the 1930s, catalogued hundreds of color combinations drawn from nature, tradition, and fine art. The book was later translated and published in English as A Dictionary of Color Combinations, finding new audiences among graphic designers, interior decorators, fashion professionals, and fine artists worldwide.

Each combination in Wada's dictionary is presented without hierarchy — there is no "best" pairing, only relationships. Colors speak through proximity, proportion, and contrast. This archive preserves that editorial spirit: every palette is shown as a full composition, with equal weight given to each color.

The 348 combinations presented here are drawn from Wada's original framework, using traditional Western and Eastern pigment names that Wada himself employed — Prussian Blue, Vermilion, Gamboge, Celadon — alongside English descriptive equivalents. Hex values are modern digital approximations of the original printed inks.

This is an independent digital reference project. A Dictionary of Color Combinations is published by Seigensha Art Publishing. All palette concepts trace to the original work of Sanzo Wada.