Ukiyo-e (Floating World)

Prussian blue (bero-ai) — the imported synthetic pigment that transformed Japanese prints. Hokusai was among the first to use it as a dominant color.

Material: Prussian blue (bero-ai) on washi paper

RGB(27, 72, 120)

Reference: The Great Wave off Kanagawa (c. 1831)

The unprinted washi paper — Hokusai used the paper's warm white as the snow on Mount Fuji. The paper is the lightest 'color.'

Material: Unprinted kozo washi paper

RGB(234, 228, 216)

Prussian blue graduated from dark to pale — the bokashi technique of blending ink on the woodblock before printing creates atmospheric gradients.

Material: Prussian blue, bokashi gradient technique

RGB(104, 152, 184)

Safflower red (beni) diluted to pale pink for skin. So pale it's almost just warm paper — a whisper of color.

Material: Safflower red (beni), heavily diluted

RGB(232, 200, 184)

Sumi ink printed from the key block — the black outline that defines every form. Always printed first, all colors register to this outline.

Material: Sumi ink (pine soot + nikawa glue) on cherry woodblock

RGB(24, 24, 24)

Red lead (tan) or vermilion for the famous Red Fuji print. A warm, slightly orange red that captures the volcanic mountain at dawn.

Material: Red lead (tan) or vermilion on washi

RGB(202, 64, 32)

Reference: Fine Wind, Clear Morning (c. 1831)

Diluted sumi ink printed in fine diagonal lines over a bokashi grey wash — Hiroshige's signature rain effect. Each line is a separate impression.

Material: Sumi ink, fine-line rain printing over grey wash

RGB(106, 112, 120)

Prussian blue in deep bokashi gradation — from near-black at the horizon to pale blue overhead. Hiroshige's twilight is the most atmospheric in ukiyo-e.

Material: Prussian blue, deep bokashi gradation

RGB(42, 72, 104)

Safflower red (beni) at medium concentration — the specific pink-red of plum blossoms, a key seasonal reference.

Material: Safflower red (beni), medium concentration

RGB(184, 48, 64)

Unprinted paper as snow — Hiroshige's snow scenes use the paper itself, sometimes with embossing (karazuri) to create texture.

Material: Unprinted washi with karazuri embossing

RGB(234, 226, 216)

A mix of Prussian blue + gamboge yellow (aigami) for foliage. The specific green shifts with seasons — spring bright, summer deep, autumn golden.

Material: Prussian blue + gamboge (aigami) on washi

RGB(58, 120, 64)

Persimmon tannin (kakishibu) — a traditional Japanese brown for woodwork and bridges. Warm, reddish, and historically accurate.

Material: Persimmon tannin (kakishibu) on washi

RGB(107, 74, 40)