The Dictionary of
Color Combinations

Showa era · refined · warm

Carmine Red & Neutral Gray +1

Plate 221 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Neutral Gray, Black.

Carmine Red

#a62c37

Neutral Gray

#b6bfc1

Black

#111314

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About this combination

Combination 221 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 3-colour grouping of Carmine Red, Neutral Gray, Black, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 221 of Wada's 348 anchors Carmine Red, Neutral Gray and Black in the red family — a 3-colour grouping with a refined, warm character, recorded in the Showa-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 — Neutral Gray on Black — reaches a contrast ratio of 9.95:1, clearing the WCAG AAA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.

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