Edo era
Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐
The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.
#B23B3B
red · 1 palette
Akane
茜
Madder red
About Akane
Akane (茜) is a mid-tone, muted red tone. Its hex value is #B23B3B — that is
RGB 178, 59, 59, or HSL 0°, 50%, 46%.
Madder red.
It holds 5.9:1 contrast against white, so Akane works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 5.9:1; on black 3.6:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Akane appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Tokiwa, Suna-iro and Sumi.
The story of Akane
Akane (茜) is the warmer, slightly orange-leaning red dyed from madder root (Rubia akane) — one of the oldest organic dyes used continuously in Japan. Archaeological evidence places its use back to the Yayoi period. Where kurenai is the crimson of the court, akane is the red of everyday cloth and folk textiles: kimonos for daughters, theatre costumes, traditional wedding accessories.
It reads as warm, settled, and connected to specifically human craft tradition rather than to formal authority. Modern usage: warmth-driven brands, craft and food packaging, anywhere the brief asks for 'rich red but not corporate red.' Madder is also one of the few traditional dyes that has been continuously cultivated commercially, so the colour has an unbroken contemporary lineage.
Working note: Classic pairing is with evergreen — the 'red and green' of Japanese textile combinations, without the holiday connotations of the Western pairing.
See Akane in the Japanese Color Glossary →
How often colors like this recur across the 348 plates — the data analysis →
Colours that go with Akane
From a standard colour wheel, Akane anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#B23B3B #3BB2B2
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#B23B3B #B23B77 #B2773B
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#B23B3B #3BB23B #3B3BB2
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#B23B3B #3BB277 #3B77B2
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Akane
Akane is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 0°, 50%, 46%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (5.9:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#3BB2B2) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#B23B77 and #B2773B) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Akane off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Pantone
Color Bridge Guide — coated
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Color Bridge Guide Coated | Pantone to CMYK, RGB & HTML Color Matching Fan Deck for Graphic Design, Branding & Print | GG6103B
See price on Amazon -
...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
Display Plus HL colorimeter kit
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite Video Photo Kit with Display Plus HL Colorimeter and ColorChecker Passport Video 2, 10,000 Nit Monitor Calibration, Camera Color Matching
See price on Amazon -
...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
See price on Amazon
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Palettes with Akane
Akane appears in 1 combination from the archive. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Akane
- What is the hex code for Akane?
- Akane (茜) is #B23B3B. Madder red It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Akane look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Akane (#B23B3B) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 5.86:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 3.58:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Akane come from?
- Akane is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued red pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Akane in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#B23B3B) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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