Waseda University History MuseumWaseda University

There is no definitive answer.

Today, Waseda University’s school color is officially referred to as “WASEDA RED.” It is also commonly described as ebicha (shrimp-brown), dark crimson, burgundy, or maroon.

The RGB specification for WASEDA RED (R:142, G:23, B:40)
converted into HEX (#8E1729).

At present, no clear historical record has been found documenting the circumstances under which the school color was established.

In its discussion of the completion of the Okuma Auditorium, The Centennial History of Waseda University provides the following account:

In addition, an ebicha-colored stage curtain was prepared by Takashimaya for the auditorium stage. In Volume 8 of Ichishima’s memoir Gakanroku (entry dated November 25, 1927), the following passage appears:

“This color is the school color. It is also a curious coincidence that it is identical to the school color of the University of Chicago. This color is called maroon. The various departments of Waseda have their own colors—red, white, purple, green, and others. When these are blended together, they become this ebicha color, that is, maroon.”

Thus, as noted earlier in Volume IV, page 149, the school color, which had not yet been determined as ebicha by the end of the Meiji period, had become established by this time.

The Centennial History of Waseda University, Volume III, Part VI: Waseda University under the University Ordinance, Chapter 8: The New Library and the Okuma Memorial Auditorium, Section 2: Completion of the Okuma Memorial Auditorium.

Volume 8 of Gakanroku, edited by ICHISHIMA Kenkichi, held by the Waseda University Library (Call No. イ04 01919 0390)

According to this account, when the Okuma Memorial Auditorium was completed in 1927, its stage curtain was made in ebicha. Kenkichi Ichishima regarded this color as Waseda University’s “school color” and recognized that it happened, by coincidence, to be the same maroon color used by the University of Chicago.

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