Heian era
Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺
Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.
#1B2A4E
blue · 3 palettes
Kon
紺
Deep indigo navy
About Kon
Kon (紺) is a deep, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #1B2A4E — that is
RGB 27, 42, 78, or HSL 222°, 49%, 21%.
Deep indigo navy.
It holds 14.1:1 contrast against white, so Kon works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 14.1:1; on black 1.5:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Kon appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Gofun, Kurenai and Daidai.
The story of Kon
Kon (紺) is deep navy — the darkest practical shade of indigo, the colour of dyed-and-redyed-and-redyed cotton until the fibres are nearly black. Used historically for samurai under-armour (because the blue-black colour hides bloodstains), Edo-period merchant workwear, and the deep-night skies in classical wood-block prints. Kon reads weighty, grounded, and authoritative in a way pure black does not.
Modern usage: business identity, premium menswear, heritage brands, editorial publishing. Kon is the 'corporate navy' of the Japanese tradition — but with depth and material warmth that synthetic navies lack.
Working note: Pairs canonically with kurenai (court formal — see Heian guide) or with gofun (clean modern). Both pairings preserve kon's gravitas.
See Kon in the Japanese Color Glossary →
How often colors like this recur across the 348 plates — the data analysis →
Colours that go with Kon
From a standard colour wheel, Kon anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#1B2A4E #4E3F1B
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#1B2A4E #1B444E #261B4E
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#1B2A4E #4E1B2A #2A4E1B
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#1B2A4E #4E261B #434E1B
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Kon
Kon is a deep, muted tone (HSL 222°, 49%, 21%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (14.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#4E3F1B) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#1B444E and #261B4E) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Kon 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.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
See price on Amazon
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Palettes with Kon
Kon appears in 3 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Kon
- What is the hex code for Kon?
- Kon (紺) is #1B2A4E. Deep indigo navy It appears in 3 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Kon look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Kon (#1B2A4E) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 14.11:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 1.49:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Kon come from?
- Kon is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued blue pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Kon in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#1B2A4E) 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
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
- CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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