Spot on the Artist : Sanzo Wada
Sanzo Wada 和田三造 (1883–1967) was a Japanese artist, teacher, and costume designer, known as the author of “A Dictionary of Color Combinations”. Exploring the fields of color theory, design and costume design, his work has significantly influenced the world of art, theatre, and fashion. The artist’s era was during the avant-garde time of Japanese art and cinema, yet Wada was still ahead of his time in developing his creations.
He came up with Western-influenced color combinations, helping to start and create contemporary color research. His innovative approach to color theory has revolutionized modern color theory as we know it and also founded and laid the foundation for the work of the Japan Color Research Institute. The Institute still continues in maintaining his color research legacy.
Born in Hyogo Prefecture on the island of Honsu, in 1883, young Wada began his artistic training at an early age, studying traditional Japanese painting and calligraphy. Thanks to his travels to Europe he also developed an interest in Western art.
Early life and the nature theme
We know that Sanzo Wada comes from a doctor’s family; as might be expected, his father opposed the idea of young Sanzo becoming an artist. However, against his family’s wishes, he applied to the Western Painting Department at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts), where he started his art journey. In Sanzo’s early artworks, we can see his interest in nature, the romanticism of it, and the calming feeling of the Japanese countryside.
One of the first paintings that brought him wider recognition was an oil on canvas painting from 1907 called South Wind.
It portrays a Western-style, Roman-like muscular man standing on a small boat, fighting against the forces of nature, with the sea countryside around him and the land in the back.
The South Wind is not just a regular painting, but is based on his personal experience of being adrift during a storm on Izu Oshima.
Set in the early 1900s, Japanese society was still stimulated by the victory in the Russo-Japanese War, and “South Wind” was thought to capture the spirit of the era’s bravery and romance. This feeling resonated with Japanese functionaries and politicians, granting Wada recognition in higher government circles. 1
In 1909, Sanzo Wada received a government scholarship to study in France, where he was exposed to French and other European masterpieces until the outbreak of World War I. His studies throughout Europe lasted from the year 1909 to 1915. On his way back to Japan, he stopped in India, British Burma (now Myanmar), and the Dutch East Indies, where the patterns and crafts of Southeast Asia caught his eye, inspiring him to study them further. 2
Later, in the 1930s, Sanzo Wada supported the Japanese government’s nationalistic and military efforts by creating propaganda paintings and illustrations that aimed to show the regular, everyday Japanese way of life, including the working class at some points. This period of his life is not much mentioned in the books, but it is an important note for an artist creating during the war era.
From this period, however, comes one of his most notable art projects — Sketches of Occupations of Everyday life in the Showa Period. Started in 1938, it is a series of recurring sketches of woodblock prints depicting regular working professions in Japan under the name Shokugyo E-zukushi. Several professions were highlighted, including those that were old and dying, in order to preserve their memory and recognize them as essential positions. The woodblock printing was stopped during the war period, but it was shortly restored afterward with a new set of woodblock prints.3
The founder of Japan Color Research Institute
In the mid-1920s, after returning from abroad, Sanzo Wada began to conceptualize the creation of a research institute in Japan dedicated to standardizing color. This initiative gained the interest of the Japanese government, which led to the formation of a Color Committee under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was in 1927, the same year he was appointed a member of the Imperial Art Academy, that he organized the “Japan Standard Color Association” now known as Japan Color Institute to promote the “rationalization” of color in Japan. 4
To gain deeper insight into his fascination with colors, especially those influenced by the West, we look to his early travels to Europe, notably France, where he resided for several years, immersing himself in its vibrant culture. However, as previously noted, he later journeyed to India and Burma to delve into the traditional arts of the South Asia.
It is his artistic curiosity, practical applications in costume design, educational pursuits, and cultural appreciation that were early behind his pursuit to explore and conceptualize colors.
Together with the Japan Color Research Institute, Wada collaborated internationally with the Optical Society of America and the Munsell Color Foundation to work on and improve the Munsell renotation system. The aim was to emphasize the use of color chips rather than just theoretical values. The result of this cross-national cooperation was the publication of a Munsell Renotation Color Book, which put together thoughtfully picked color combinations, reflecting both Wada’s scientific approach to color theory and his artistic sensitivity. This costly and complex project represented a significant contribution to color standardization, influencing both Japanese and international color systems. 5
A DICTIONARY OF COLOR COMBINATIONS [配色辞典]
In 1933, Wada published his unique publication on color analysis, ‘A Dictionary of Color Combinations.’ The book is now the go-to resource for color combinations and design. The original 6-volume work, based on Wada’s own research. His own experience allowed him to explore and compile all the combinations so that they would actually fit and make sense.
The publication was an instant success and quickly became a standard reference. It includes 368 thoughtfully put color combinations that inspire artists to this day. The color combinations are grouped into sets of two, three, or four colors to create harmony. There is also an index of CYMK Color Codes, lists of where each color was featured.
Graphic illustration of the book
The Dictionary of Color Combinations was written during the early Showa period, a turbulent time encompassing both pre-war and post-war periods. Set in this era, a new atmosphere was brought on by the influence of Western culture. Sanzo Wada saw an opportunity to bring a higher understanding or interest in colors to Japanese society. However, his work was also ahead of its time in its embrace of color theory as a scientific discipline. With new ideas in mind, he was one of the first artists to study the psychological effects of color, and his research helped to lay the foundation for the field of color psychology, while also establishing the Japan Color Research Institute during this time.
In recent years, in 2010, Seigensha Art Publishing reprinted the original book and introduced it to newer audiences. Meant to be a source of inspiration filled with a captivating array of “hues we didn’t even know existed,”
The reprint of Vol. 1 was followed by Vol. 2, which brings back two more works by Wada published in 1935–1936 and 1938. The book presents 72 color patterns themed on the Japanese seasons and another 165 drawn from early to mid-twentieth-century fashion, interior, costume and graphic design.
The latest Vol 2 includes:
72 combinations of three to seven colors themed on the twelve months of the Japanese year
165 color combinations from 1910s to 1930s Japanese fashion, interior, and graphic design
Color names in Japanese and English
172 removable color chips 6
An example of the color combinations introduced by Sanzo Wada I.
An example of the color combinations introduced by Sanzo Wada II.
Wada’s impact on art and design
Sanzo Wada was a true visionary who made a lasting contribution to the world of art and design. His work continues to inspire and inform artists and designers today, and he is rightly regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of color theory. Over the course of his extensive career, we see significant development.
Starting as a student of painting and an aspiring young painter, he was granted the opportunity to peek under the cover of Western art. Later influenced by the West, he traveled through the continents up to South Asia, ready to change the way art was perceived in Japan. His unique thinking and experience also allowed him to connect with people, functionaries, and the core of the Japanese people.
Not only in paintings, woodblocks, but also in printmaking, dressmaking, and pioneering work in color research lays his lasting legacy and influence.
Did you know that Sanzo Wada received an Oscar for Best Costume Design for his contributions to the film "Gate of Hell"? Indeed, such is the inspiring legacy of this artist.
Resources:
1: Lavenberg, I. (no date) Wada Sanzō (1883–1967), MyJapaneseHanga. Available at: https://www.myjapanesehanga.com/home/artists/wada-sanzo-1883-1967.html (Accessed: April 2024).
2: Sun Chunmei (2022) 【名單之後】臺府展評審中的奧斯卡獎得主：和田三造 — 名單之後：臺府展史料庫, 名單之後：臺府展史料庫 — 名單之後：臺府展史料庫. Available at: https://taifuten.com/story/%E3%80%90%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE%E4%B9%8B%E5%BE%8C%E3%80%91%E5%8F%B0%E5%BA%9C%E5%B1%95%E8%A9%95%E5%AF%A9%E4%B8%AD%E7%9A%84%E5%A5%A7%E6%96%AF%E5%8D%A1%E7%8D%8E%E5%BE%97%E4%B8%BB%EF%BC%9A%E5%92%8C%E7%94%B0/ (Accessed: April 2024).
3: ISAACS ART CENTER (no date) Sanzo Wada (1883–1967), Sanzo Wada (1883–1967) — Isaacs Art Center. Available at: https://isaacsartcenter.hpa.edu/artist-works.php?artistId=355062&artist=Sanzo%2BWada%2B%281883%E2%80%931967%29 (Accessed: April 2024).
4: Nickerson, D. (1968) ‘Inter-Society Color Council Newsletter ’, iscc-archive.org. Available at: http://www.iscc-archive.org/Newsletters/ISCCNews195.pdf (Accessed: April 2024).
5: N, D. (1964) ‘Inter-Society Color Council Newsletter ’, iscc-archive.org. Available at: http://www.iscc-archive.org/Newsletters/ISCCNews172.pdf (Accessed: April 2024).
6: Publishing, Y.L. (no date) A dictionary of color combinations vol.2, Yvon Lambert Paris. Available at: https://www.yvon-lambert.com/products/a-dictionary-of-color-combinations-vol-2 (Accessed: April 2024).
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