Muromachi era
Bellflower & Ink— 桔梗と墨
The deep violet of the bellflower set against ink — formal, discreet.
#5B4B8A
blue · 1 palette
Kikyō
桔梗
Bellflower purple
About Kikyō
Kikyō (桔梗) is a mid-tone, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #5B4B8A — that is
RGB 91, 75, 138, or HSL 255°, 30%, 42%.
Bellflower purple.
It holds 7.5:1 contrast against white, so Kikyō works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 7.5:1; on black 2.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kikyō appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Sumi and Gin.
Colours that go with Kikyō
From a standard colour wheel, Kikyō anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#5B4B8A #7A8A4B
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#5B4B8A #4B5B8A #7A4B8A
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#5B4B8A #8A5B4B #4B8A5B
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#5B4B8A #8A7A4B #5B8A4B
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kikyō
Kikyō is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 255°, 30%, 42%), 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 (7.5:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#7A8A4B) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4B5B8A and #7A4B8A) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Kikyō
Kikyō 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.
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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- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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