About this combination
Ruri is lapis lazuli, considered one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. It is the blue of sutra frontispieces and deity robes. Against gofun, the matte white of temple painting, it reads as devotional, timeless, and unmistakably sacred.
Where it works
- Sacred music, liturgical publishing
- Luxury stationery
- Museum catalogues
Historical context
This combination from Wada's catalog anchors Ruri, Gofun and Kogane in the blue family — a 3-colour grouping with a solemn, serene, refined character, recorded in the Heian-era volumes of Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, where these shikisai names have sat in the public domain for generations. Its strongest pairing — Ruri on Gofun — reaches a contrast ratio of 7.47:1, clearing the WCAG AAA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.