About this combination
Enji is a deep, slightly cool crimson — a lake dye traditionally made from cochineal insects. Matsuba is the dark green of pine needles. Together they are the auspicious color scheme of New Year decorations: pine branches tied with red cord.
Where it works
- Winter campaigns, holiday branding
- Wine and spirits
- Heritage editorial
Historical context
This editorial combination anchors Enji, Matsuba, Kinari and Kogane in the red family — a 4-colour grouping with a bold, solemn, warm character. It is an original composition by the editors of colorcombinations.org, built with Wada's method from traditional Japanese shikisai colour names associated with the Edo era; it is not one of the 348 plates in Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations. Its strongest pairing — Matsuba on Kinari — reaches a contrast ratio of 7.93:1, clearing the WCAG AAA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.
Studio
Taking Crimson Lake & Pine off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this palette is going decides what it needs next.
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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.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Formula Guide – Coated & Uncoated | Professional PMS Color Matching System for Print, Packaging & Graphic Design | GP1601B
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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 Passport Photo 2
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
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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 24 — Art Nouveau
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
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