Muromachi era
Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成
Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.
#8DB6A5
green · 1 palette
Seiji
青磁
Celadon green
About Seiji
Seiji (青磁) is a mid-tone, near-neutral green tone. Its hex value is #8DB6A5 — that is
RGB 141, 182, 165, or HSL 155°, 22%, 63%.
Celadon green.
It holds 9.4:1 contrast against dark, so Seiji works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.2:1; on black 9.4:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Seiji appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Kinari and Matsuba.
The story of Seiji
Seiji (青磁) is the celadon green of the Chinese-influenced Korean and Japanese ceramic traditions. The name refers literally to the iron-glaze celadon ware — fired with a thin coat of iron-bearing slip that vitrifies into a pale grey-green. Centuries of tea-ceremony and incense-ceremony objects have established the colour as inseparable from quiet refinement.
Modern usage: skincare and wellness brands, hospitality identity, ceramics, anywhere the brief asks for 'green that doesn't read as nature.' Seiji is one of the colours that makes a Japandi palette feel Japanese rather than just Scandinavian-with-green — the cool axis of a properly executed Japandi system almost always passes through this hue.
See Seiji in the Japanese Color Glossary →
How often colors like this recur across the 348 plates — the data analysis →
Colours that go with Seiji
From a standard colour wheel, Seiji anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#8DB6A5 #B68D9E
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#8DB6A5 #8DB691 #8DB3B6
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#8DB6A5 #A58DB6 #B6A58D
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#8DB6A5 #B68DB3 #B6918D
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Seiji
Seiji is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 155°, 22%, 63%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (9.4:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#B68D9E) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#8DB691 and #8DB3B6) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Seiji 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 Seiji
Seiji 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 Seiji
- What is the hex code for Seiji?
- Seiji (青磁) is #8DB6A5. Celadon green It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Seiji look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Seiji (#8DB6A5) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 2.24:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 9.37:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Seiji come from?
- Seiji is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued green pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Seiji in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#8DB6A5) 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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