Edo era
Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍
Warm turmeric yellow against true indigo — the everyday textile of Japanese farm life.
#E0B740
yellow · 1 palette
Ukon
鬱金
Turmeric yellow
About Ukon
Ukon (鬱金) is a mid-tone, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #E0B740 — that is
RGB 224, 183, 64, or HSL 45°, 72%, 56%.
Turmeric yellow.
It holds 11.0:1 contrast against dark, so Ukon works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.9:1; on black 11.0:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Ukon appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Ai and Kinari.
Colours that go with Ukon
From a standard colour wheel, Ukon anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#E0B740 #4069E0
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#E0B740 #E06740 #B9E040
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#E0B740 #40E0B7 #B740E0
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#E0B740 #40B9E0 #6740E0
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Ukon
Ukon is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 45°, 72%, 56%), 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 (11.0:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#4069E0) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#E06740 and #B9E040) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Ukon 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.
-
...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.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...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
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...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
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Palettes with Ukon
Ukon 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 Ukon
- What is the hex code for Ukon?
- Ukon (鬱金) is #E0B740. Turmeric yellow It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Ukon look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Ukon (#E0B740) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.91:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 11.02:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Ukon come from?
- Ukon is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued yellow pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Ukon in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#E0B740) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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