Fuyu-Gaki - Pilot Iroshizuku

[visvamitra]

In December 2007 Pilot's created exclusive line of inks called Iroshizuku. I believe they may well be the most well known fountain pen inks in pen world. These inks are supposed to work in any pen with any nib on any paper and in any situation. I haven't tried all of them but so far the Iroshizuku inks I've tried were behaving flawlessly.

The colors were created by Kiyomi Hasegawa who after fifteen years of working in a stationary shop and communicating with Clients come to conclusion that not all fountain pen users are willing to write in black and blue. Wise woman.

The bottles are stunning although they have their issues: if the ink is left unused for some time the cap tends to stick and break when you try to twist it open. It happened to my bottle of Shin-Ryoku.

Anyway Iroshizuku line of inks counts 24 "standard" colors. Three inks were made some time ago for Tokyo stores: Edo-Murasaki, Fukagawa-Nezu and Shimbashi-Iro.After seeing the scans over blogosphere I wish these three were accesible, because they look interesting. Edo - Murasaki looks cool while Murasaki - Shikibu is of no interest to me. Even though I kind of like Fuyu-Syogun I find Fukagawa-Nezu more compelling.

Nothing indicates Pilot plans on extending the official line any time soon (if ever) so let's take a look at what's possible to obtain from dealers and online shops.

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1595/lYAayJ.jpg

I don't have all of the inks but sooner or later I'll try to check them all. With time I'll review all of them (hopefully).

1. Ajisai
   
2. Ama-Iro
   
3. Asa-Gao
   
4. Chiku-Rin
   
5. Fuyu-Gaki
   
6. Fuyu-Syogun
   
7. Ina-Ho
   
8. Kiri-Same
   
9. Kon-Peki
   
10. Kosumosu
    
11. Ku-Jaku
    
12. Momiji
    
13. Murasaki-Shikibu
    
14. Shin-Kai
    
15. Shin-Ryoku
    
16. Syo-Ro
    
17. Take-Sumi
    
18. Tsuki-Yo
    
19. Tsukushi
    
20. Tsutsuji
    
21. Tsuyu-Kusa
    
22. Yama-Budo
    
23. Yama-Guri
    
24. Yu-Yake
    

Let's take a look at fuyu-gaki

http://gyvensena.sveikas.lt/uploads/img/imp/imagelib/persimmon-frozen.jpg

http://www.mydiet.pl...rowia-persymona

The color is quite stunning, joyful and complex (red-orange-yellow-pink) and really, really hard to scan. That's why I've chosen photos.

Bottle

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3860/uKumn0.jpg

Ink splash

http://imageshack.com/a/img908/1424/drJBBh.jpg

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

http://imageshack.com/a/img913/5987/PILb4s.jpg

Chromatography

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/8174/oic15b.jpg

SOFTWARE ID

http://imageshack.com/a/img912/4493/vr6RZR.jpg

Color range

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3084/GvfNzr.jpg

Oxford - Kaweco Sport Classic, b

http://imageshack.com/a/img910/5076/QvcQNn.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img912/3509/zxflJe.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/7194/byUJcH.jpg

Poljet 80 g

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8514/v5DlCb.jpg

[Michael R.]

Great color; good companion to Noodler's Dragon's Napalm, Diamine Vermillion and Organics Studio Neon.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[lgsoltek]

My first bottle of Iro. I love it.

[jasonchickerson]

This is really beautiful. Very close to a traditional vermillion.

 

Has anyone tried this with a dip pen?

[PhilProf]

One of my constants. It has just enough yellow in the red to keep me coming back. Thanks for the review.

[seanruss]

I'm not a huge fan of Iroshizuku inks, I've always thought they were too expensive for the average colors. However, this winter-persimmon ink i really like. I have two samples and have thought seriously about adding it to my next order of inks. Yes, I too am an inkoholic. :-)

[Gloucesterman]

Oh great. Now I have the munchies for a persimmon!

[Neon]

This is a nice color. I can't choose between this and Organics Studio Neon.

[Aquaria]

I'm not surprised at all that Pilot Iro has an ink in this particular color. The Japanese are a little...goofy about persimmons, or kaki, as they call them. They love the taste, of course, but they also believe it can cure a wide variety of ailments like stomach aches or colds.

 

Gojo in Nara prefecture is more or less the kaki "capital" of Japan. Sights like this are common there during persimmon season:

 

 

The town even has a museum not only dedicated to the persimmon, but also the building is shaped like one (more or less):

 

 

Only in Japan...

 

Pilot Iro Fuyu-gaki seems to match these shadings of the persimmon color, quite well.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Aquaria

[Ghost Plane]

Lives in my 90 year MB Skeleton. Totally plays off the gray metal.

[wastelanded]

Minor FYI, Pelikan 4001 caps are a perfect fit when the inevitable Iro cap crack occurs.

[senzen]

Minor FYI, Pelikan 4001 caps are a perfect fit when the inevitable Iro cap crack occurs.

 

Useful to know; even though none of my 10 Iroshizuku caps have broken. In the meantime I've grown addicted to Fuyu Gaki, in spite of having 20 other colours I miss using it since I was unable to stop a Laureat from leaking, just waiting for a Metropolitan and M205 to see which one makes it look as saturated as it can be.