pens, inks, stores, companies and about the pleasure of owning a fine pen

Iroshizuku

Iroshizuku inks are made by Pilot. "iroshizuku" means droplets of colour.The folours are said to be inspired by the colours of nature. From the moment this line of ink came onto the market it has been a signficent success. Some may have thought its hefty price, especially at the time it was launched, would prevent the ink being so popular. But no so. And over time, Pilot has brought down the price so now it ranks on par with what would be called premium inks.

 

The Bottles

Iroshizuku Ink Bottles

The bottles are something to admire and appreciate. The oblonge shaped bottles are taller than the width so they are a very well designed. As a pulse there is a small indent in the bottom of the bottle for the tip of the nib to rest, and this facilitates maximizes the fill of a pen.

 

Colours

Ajiai

Amo Iro (Sky Blue)
Asa Gao (Morning Glory)
Chikurin (Bamboo Forest)
Fuyu Gaki (Winter Peersimmon)
Fuyu Syogun (Old Man Winter) a cool grey with maybe a hint of blue
Ina-ho (Rice Ear) light brown
Kiri-Same (Autumn Shower) a warm grey
Kon Peki (Deep Cerulean Blue)
Kosumosu (Autumn Cherry Blossom)
Ku Jaku (Peacock)
Momiji (Autumn Leaves)
Muraski Shi Kibu (Japanese Beautyberry)
Shin Kai (Deep Sea)
Shin Ryoku (Forest Green)
Take-sumi (Bamboo Charcoal) a rich black
Tsuki Yo (Moonlight)
Tsukuski (Horsetail) described as a medium brown, this is a dark colour
Tsukuji (Azalea)

Tsuyu-kusa
Yama Budo (Crimson Glory Vine)
Yama Guri (Wild Chestnut) a dark sepia brown
Yu Yake (Sunset)

 

Asa Gao

asa-gao

Asa-Goa means morning glory blue. Here colour represented on the the packaging is not the colour of the ink. There is no purple tone byt rather a beautiful rich blue. Good performance, reasonable dry time, no feathering or bleeding.

 

 

 

fuyu-syogun

fuyu-syogun

There are two greys in the iroshizuku line of inks. fuyu-syogun is the cool grey colour. I like the ink for short notes, and it looks great on cream toned paper, but it is too pale for an full written page. Performance is good, very consistent performance with the other colours in the line.

kiri-same

kiri-same

 

This is the second grey in the iroshizuku line of inks. In English the name is Scotch Mist and there are hints of brown and warm tones in this grey. The other popular grey in the line is fuju-soygun which is a lighter and cooler grey. For awhile fuju-soygun was my grey of choice, but I must say that now that I have been using kiri-same, I like the darker tone for larger area of text. The iroshizuku line of inks are known for their superior writing properties. This colour is no exception to that overall experience with the line.

momiji

momiji - iroshizuku

When I acquired my Namiki Nikon Wave fountain pen I wanted a stunning ink to go along with the pen. I selected momiji - a bright, bold red with a touch of pink. I love writing with this ink. It has a bold presence on the page. Even full pages of written text look good with this colour. Like the other colours in the iroshizuku line of ink, expect and you will get excellent writing performance.

ina-ho

ina-ho

This is an interesting colour in the iroshizuku line of inks. Depending on the width of the nib you may see some colour variations. When changing inks in a pen I would I have to take extra care to wash out the pen before loading this colour. Any amount that is left on the feed or the nib is quick to change the appearance of the ink. the ink is yellow-brown. Swabs really bring out the yellow tones. The width of the nib will impact how the colour looks on the page. With some pens more yellow has come across. As the nib gets broader there is a shading to the ink.

Key is the performance and you will find no complaints with how the ink flows from the pen.

shin-kai

shin-kai

This is a very dark blue-black ink. It is a very dark ink that is excellent when using a broad nib. In fact, on my SCRIBO Feel, when I am out of Blu Cosmico, then I fill my pen withy Shin-Kai. The SCRIBO Feel nib is a good wet broad nib and I like to use an ink with a high concentration of colour. This is no second brand to go.

Shin-Kai means deep sea, and this is probably the colour of the sea well down outside the rays of light. The ink has no sheen, and I like that. I prefer the flat tone colours. There is medium shading although I find for most of my writing it is a pretty solid line of colour on the page.

tsukushi

tsukushi

I find that I use this ink a fair bit for my travel journal. I find brown a calming colour and the colour is easy to take with pages and pages of written text. This is a good solid dark brown. Like the other colours in the iroshizuku line, excellent writing characteristics. Good flow, Quick dry time, and it drys to a nice flat, non-sticky finish. That is very important with projects like a travel journal. Some of the inks with a sheen smudge and causes pages of a journal to stick together. Not with this colour.

aijisai

aijisai.

The english name for this ink is hydrangia, and the colour is like the beautiful blues I see in hydrangea here on the West Coast of Canada. The blue is bold enough to have a presence on the page. Excellent writing characteristics - as found with the other colours of this excellent line of ink. Good flow, quick dry time, and a good flat, non-smearing finish.

fuyu-gaki

fuyu-gaki

The name fuyu-gaki means Winter Persimmon. I am unsure what that fruit looks like, but the ink is a beautiful reddish-orange ink. The other orange in the iroshizuku ine is yu-yake and it is a ighter mellow orange tone. It is very nice, and I like it, but I like the extra punch of fuyu-gaki.

I like orange tone inks, and of the numerous brands I have tried, fuyu-gaki is one of the one I use the most because of its bold, bright colour. The ink has an excellent writing experience. Good flow, it is what many would call a wet ink, reasonable dry time and no feathering or bleed through on most papers.

ku-jaku

ku-jake

 

ku-jaku

 

A deep turquoise blue ink that leaves a good impression on the written page. There is some shading to the ink, you will see it in strokes written with broader nibs. But for the most part I find that it leaves a very consistent colour and tone of ink on the page.

I like the dry non-sheen look when the ink dries. Good flow and reasonable dry time. I have not encountered any feathering of the ink. Likewise, when writing on both sides of a page there is no excessive bleed through.

yama-guri

yama-giri

Thi is a medium brown ink that leaves a very appealing look to a written page. The ink has good flow and a quick dry time, going from wet to dry in about 15 seconds. There is no feathering of the ink on good papers, it will, however have some feathering on chearp office-copy paper. The show through the written page is about medium.

 

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