Japan · Edo period (1603–1868)
江戸商人
Edo Shōnin · Edo Merchant
Muted earth tones worn by merchant class under sumptuary laws that forbade displays of wealth.
In Practice
The palette, applied.
Three mock compositions built only from the colors above — a designer’s proof that cultural palettes translate into production surfaces.
Editorial · Poster
Rice Straw grounds the field while Bengara Red carries the display voice — a pairing built for titling weight.
Product · Packaging
Bengara Red takes the front face; Rikan Green returns as a narrow band — a tested retail hierarchy.
Digital · Interface
Rice Straw canvas, Sumi Black type, Bengara Red call-to-action — WCAG-legible contrast without leaving the palette.
Give your design a meaningful narrative — not just a color, but the reason it belongs.
The colors
#1C1C1C
墨
Sumi · Sumi Black
Ink produced from pine soot, used in calligraphy since the Nara period.
#6C5C3E
利休茶
Rikyū-cha · Rikyū Brown
Subdued tea-brown named after tea master Sen no Rikyū, favored for restrained elegance.
#86604B
弁柄色
Bengara-iro · Bengara Red
Iron-oxide pigment used on Edo-period wooden facades and lattice windows.
#52593B
璃寛茶
Rikan-cha · Rikan Green
Dark tea-green named after kabuki actor Arashi Rikan, fashionable among Osaka townspeople.
#D3CCA3
生成り
Kinari · Rice Straw
Undyed raw cotton tone representing humble commoner cloth.