Pilot Iroshizuku Ink Line: Discussion Thread

[N1003U]

I spent a little bit of time looking here and in the Japan forum, but I did not find a thread that seemed dedicated to Iroshizuku ink. There is of course a lot of discussion of the ink, just nowhere in once place that I was able to find.

 

Mods: I have tagged this thread to ask if maybe I missed an already existing thread.

If so, please feel free to merge the comments below into the Iroshizuku thread I somehow missed.

If not, I suspect maybe there are enough Iroshizuku fans (and non-fans) and discussion to try and collect a bit in one thread where it might be a fun and informative place for people to sound off on all things Iroshizuku, big and small.

Here in Inky Thoughts seems to a good place for such a thread.

 

Iroshizuku is a line of inks by Pilot (24 inks currently, plus the occasional special editions), that come in a nice palette for colors, and there seem to be a fair number of Iroshizuku fans out there, so I thought "surely, there is a dedicated Iroshizuku Ink thread here somewhere", but I was not able to find one (at least not a recently active one).

 

My Iroshizuku thoughts for the day:

The overall palette seems a bit blue heavy (even most of the greens at least tint in the blue direction), but every Iroshizuku color I have tried has been a nice experience in subtlety. There are also some fascinating colors in the red/purple/pink/orange hues. There are a couple of grays (one warm-ish, one cool-ish), and only one black (but does one need more than one black?  ).

For someone like me who likes brown, the Iroshizuku line has nice dark (Yama-guri), medium (Tsukushi), and bright (Ina-ho) browns that in just three inks cover a lot of territory in the brown direction.

 

Sometimes I like something a bit more in the red direction, in which case Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown (can be a bit yellow-orange-ish), Diamine Ancient Copper (more orange-red), or Diamine Oxblood (maybe more of a brown-tinted red), but the Iroshizuku browns are a really functional set for me.

 

What are your favorite Iroshizuku inks, and why? Which ones do you find hideous, and why?

 

My top three Iros would be:

Yama-guri: I enjoy the warm rich dark brown, and I image sometimes I see a tinge of a green sheen in it that is not at all unpleasant.

Shin-kai: because blue-black is my most used ink, and everyone needs at least 5 - 10 different blue-blacks. 😛

Kon-peki: because it is my wife's favorite, and she works in the cobalt metal industry, so a deep cerulean blue makes for a nice metaphor.

 

 

 

 

[gyasko]

Favorite: Shinkai. I prefer this to the standard Pilot BB everyone but me loves. 

 

Hideous: Yamabudo.  It might be tolerable for a word or phrase, but a block of text written in this stuff looks terrible.

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

 

So many people seem to go ga-ga over kon-peki, which is a nice enough colour, but I much prefer tsuki-yo and syo-ro to that.

 

I don't find any of the Iroshizuku colours hideous; but I like yu-yake, of which I have a large bottle, far less than I originally thought I would, perhaps because it's too muted an orange ink for my tastes. Of eight inks in the regular line-up of 24 colours, I only have 15ml bottles; and in retrospect I wish I had bought a large bottle of fuyu-syogun, or shin-kai, or even tsuyu-kusa instead of yu-yake, of which a small bottle would be way more than enough.

 

I find chiku-rin to be too light to be useful, but still interesting; whereas kosumosu is too light and uninteresting.

 

Yama-budo is singularly the Iroshizuku ink of which I have the most. My Platinum Izumo Aka-Tamenuri is always filled with that, starting three or four years ago.

[N1003U]

  On 1/5/2021 at 12:47 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

So many people seem to go ga-ga over kon-peki, which is a nice enough colour, but I much prefer tsuki-yo and syo-ro to that.

 

I don't find any of the Iroshizuku colours hideous; but I like yu-yake, of which I have a large bottle, far less than I originally thought I would, perhaps because it's too muted an orange ink for my tastes. Of eight inks in the regular line-up of 24 colours, I only have 15ml bottles; and in retrospect I wish I had bought a large bottle of fuyu-syogun, or shin-kai, or even tsuyu-kusa instead of yu-yake, of which a small bottle would be way more than enough.

 

I find chiku-rin to be too light to be useful, but still interesting; whereas kosumosu is too light and uninteresting.

 

Yama-budo is singularly the Iroshizuku ink of which I have the most. My Platinum Izumo Aka-Tamenuri is always filled with that, starting three or four years ago.

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Interesting already. I have only two comments and already we have a variety of opinions about yama-budo. I don't believe I have tried yama-budo myself

 

 

Thanks for the pointers to the other threads. Perhaps we can get the comments from this thread merged into one of the others (perhaps the newest of the two), so we can keep the discussion together..

 

Moderators: what say you (OP here)? Can you merge the comments from this thread in the one above called "Pilot Iroshizuku Inks" and then delete this thread? I missed it somehow in my serach.

 

Thanks, N1003U

[amberleadavis]

  On 1/5/2021 at 11:44 AM, gyasko said:

Favorite: Shinkai. I prefer this to the standard Pilot BB everyone but me loves. 

 

Hideous: Yamabudo.  It might be tolerable for a word or phrase, but a block of text written in this stuff looks terrible.

 

 

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That's so funny, I feel the exact opposite. Yet I find that I don't use either color all that often. I find these inks to be among the most reliable writers I have.

 

[amberleadavis]

  On 1/5/2021 at 1:24 PM, N1003U said:

Interesting already. I have only two comments and already we have a variety of opinions about yama-budo. I don't believe I have tried yama-budo myself

 

 

Thanks for the pointers to the other threads. Perhaps we can get the comments from this thread merged into one of the others (perhaps the newest of the two), so we can keep the discussion together..

 

Moderators: what say you (OP here)? Can you merge the comments from this thread in the one above called "Pilot Iroshizuku Inks" and then delete this thread? I missed it somehow in my serach.

 

Thanks, N1003U

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I can't merge from my phone. but I think this topic should just stand it's a delightful conversation.

[mizgeorge]

I'm a huge fan of Iroshizuku inks, as much for their performance as the colours, and usually have at least two or three pens inked up with them at any given time. 

I like yama-budo a lot - but I think that's more because it works particularly well in a favourite pen, I also like kon-peki, and again, I think that's for the same reason.

 

However, I absolutely love (and I guess these are my top three)

 

kiri-same - one of my absolute favourite greys

ino-ho - no idea why, I just find it incredibly soothing

shin-kai - but few blue black inks can go wrong in my book

 

but I wouldn't want to be without kosumosu - there's something almost marshmallow soft about it and it makes me smile every time I write with it, and chiku-rin - though it's one of a number of lime-y green inks that I'm always drawn to. 

 

I've got about half a dozen big bottles and most of the rest in small bottles, and many of these will be rebought in the larger size.  

 

I have to confess. I really like the form and function of the bottles too.

[senzen]

Tsuyu Kusa is what got me into this, and it's still my favorite, although I had to make its pen write wetter to see its full potential, otherwise to my eyes it looks bland; and even though there are inks from other brands that I also find stunning, Hisoku in particular.

 

In general Iroshizukus are inks that give me a tiny bit of simple happiness when seen in good sunlight, on paper that brings out their colours (Clairefontaine, Rhodia, HP 32lbs; I enjoy Tomoe River but it can make some inks look drab): Asa Gao, Kon Peki which looks different in three pens, Ama Iro, Yama Guri, Chiku Rin, Fuyu Gaki, Ajisai... Even Ina Ho, which looks waay greener than what is shown on the box, is an interesting colour with a japanese extra fine nib.

 

I don't ask much of inks as long as they flow, which happens with Pilot and all other brands I use, with one exception, but I've learned it's such decent ink that if there are any problems, it's the pen, and in 99% of cases a good clean fixes it.

 

While I've come to enjoy decent, nice looking pens, it's still about inks for me, which brings their price into perspective.

[inkstainedruth]

Interesting to see people's different opinions over the colors.

Me?  I love Yama-budo, but thought Kosumosu awful (I never got the orange to pink shading that I was seeing in reviews early on, and under incandescent light it looked like overripe watermelon.  

I didn't like Fuyu-gaki either (I have yet to find ANY orange ink I can really stomach, other than KWZI IG Mandarin -- which oxidizes to light brown -- and Diamine Terracotta -- which also leans brownish).  But will admit that Fuyu-gaki is very well behaved.

Besides Yama-budo, I love Yama-guri and Kon-peki, and also Tsuyu-kusa (which doesn't get enough love around here but I find it just a restful and soothing color).  I rather like Murasaki-Shikibu; and Take-sumi, while not the most permanent black ink out there by any stretch, has this odd sort of almost tactile quality to it on the page -- I expect to put my finger on a line and have it feel like velvet.  

Shin-kai was only okay for me (I prefer Edelstein Tanzanite); Asa-gao I found drippy (and could not understand why so many people on here called it their go-to blue ink).  Fuyu-syogen was pretty, and the pink undertone is interesting in chromatography tests, but was also really drippy.  Didn't really care for the color of Tsuki-yo (which does look nice if you've got a good Spencerian hand -- which I most certainly do NOT -- and on ivory/cream color paper) or Tsukushi.  Ama-Iro was like a washed out version of Kon-peki.  And Tsutsuji was too eye-searing for my taste.

Haven't really tried the rest much.  But Yama-budo, Yama-guri, Kon-peki, and Tsuyu-kusa?  Those four I NEVER want to be without.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[zaddick]

My top 3 are:

Ku-jaku because I like the color wet and then it turns a different and also nice color when dry

 

Yu-yake because it looks great in a wide nib and doesn't ceust up my nib like some orange inks

 

Yama-budo because the color is a purple with a richness to it that I like.

 

The bottles, especially full size, are lovely to look at but the caps can stick like glue if you don't wipe the bottle lip and cap top after a fill. 

 

I like the recent anniversary inks and bought all of them. 

[AmandaW]

I have the two Iroshizuku darker brown inks - Tsukushi and Yama guri - and much prefer Yama guri because it's is a touch darker and more grey. (I ordered it when interviewing inks for a replacement for Pelikan's Smoky Quartz - for that I eventually settled on R&K Sepia because it's less expensive and I use a lot of ink.) And Tsukushi releases pink when washed with a little water in a drawing - no, no. no.

 

The warmer grey is definitely on my wishlist. And Ina-ho too after swatching the sample that was in the Australian Pass-Around Box - it was much nicer in the real than online colour charts suggested.

[RJS]

I lived in Asia for many years, and I very much liked this line of inks. Now I'm back in England I struggle to accept the European pricing and have only bought Tsuki-yo since returning, which is my favourite.

[Dimy]

Favorites include

Shin-kai, I like the fact that its drier then most iroshizuku inks apart from color.

Tsuki yo

and Syo ro

 

Kon peki was fine, nothing too much for me, just fine.

I also like murasaki shikibu but condition being that its used in a very fine and wet pen, which lays darker lines as dry pens make the color light and this ink shows the issue of being too bright on eyes then.

 

The one I don't have much to say for are

Chikurin, wanted to like this one but it is too light for my use

Kiri same, again too light.

Rest lot is me with lack of experience with them so no remarks.

[ENewton]

Murasaki Shikibu is my favorite ink to use in spring.  It has a floral look that I have not found in other purple inks in its range.

 

At one time I was given a small bottle of Ajisai and enjoyed its iridescence on Tomoe River paper, but on other papers it was far less interesting, so I passed it along.

 

I at first thought Kujaku to be too green for my taste, but about a year ago I tried it in a dry Pelikan 140 and liked it much better.  Now it reminds me of snorkeling in the Virgin Islands.

 

I had a sample of Konpeki several years ago and found it boring.  I also had a sample of Shinkai, which is a nice, drab blue, but I have no need for a nice, drab blue. 

 

I tried Yamaguri when I was looking for a brown but found it too rich for my purposes.  In browns, I prefer Rohrer & Klingner Sepia or J Herbin Cacao du Bresil. 

[aimi]

What a fun thread that takes me back a few years- my first bottled inks were from the Iroshizuku line because the volumes didn’t feel daunting. I started with Kon Peki (my favourite blue hue regardless of medium), Tsuki-Yo, and Take-Sumi in 15mL bottles packed in a small but delicate cardboard box I still have today.

 

Since then I’ve also owned Ku-Jaku (which I somehow lost moving back and forth this year ), Yu-Yake, and Momiji, the last two of which were my first bottled inks I finished! But of course they were 15 mL in size. I’ve also tried Syo-Ro and Ama-Iro in samples.

 

All of these inks were super reliable and on the wetter side. I wasn’t fond of Tsuki-Yo because I don’t tend to like blue blacks (other than Sailor Sei Boku), and Ku Jaku was boring until I owned broader pens than those with Pilot PO and EF nibs. I also gave away Take-Sumi to a professor who liked fountain pens; great looking 15mL bottles that make cute presents. Just this year I bought the 50mL Kon Peki because the bottles are really lovely to look at and use with the little well/dip in the middle. I topped off my almost-empty 15mL of Kon Peki and gave it to my mum.

 

Surprisingly, I’ve never tried Yamabudo for all of its popularity. Since I got my first inks, I’ve explored a plethora of other options- for example I found that Waterman Serenity Blue made a finer line than rich Kon Peki in my PO, and recently I’ve been enamoured by Sailor’s multishading inks. But sometimes I still go back to enjoy what remains of my original Iroshizuku roots. 

[lapis]

What I like about Iroshis -- over and above their good behaviours -- is their descriptions of the names. They supersede the the use of "pure" as in a pure blue or a pure red. Like "Old Man Winter". Fits perfectly to what I myself recall of a great snowstorm. Sure, that's completely personal. Is there a "pure" wine"? Is their "pure" music"?

[zaddick]

  On 1/6/2021 at 7:02 AM, lapis said:

What I like about Iroshis -- over and above their good behaviours -- is their descriptions of the names. They supersede the the use of "pure" as in a pure blue or a pure red. Like "Old Man Winter". Fits perfectly to what I myself recall of a great snowstorm. Sure, that's completely personal. Is there a "pure" wine"? Is their "pure" music"?

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Old Man Winter is the best of the descriptions!

[N1003U]

  On 1/6/2021 at 1:22 AM, AmandaW said:

I have the two Iroshizuku darker brown inks - Tsukushi and Yama guri - and much prefer Yama guri because it's is a touch darker and more grey. (I ordered it when interviewing inks for a replacement for Pelikan's Smoky Quartz - for that I eventually settled on R&K Sepia because it's less expensive and I use a lot of ink.) And Tsukushi releases pink when washed with a little water in a drawing - no, no. no.

 

The warmer grey is definitely on my wishlist. And Ina-ho too after swatching the sample that was in the Australian Pass-Around Box - it was much nicer in the real than online colour charts suggested.

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I used my first Yama-guri about 5 years ago, and I like its dark richness in a wet pen on a variety of papers. Then I acquired some Tsukushi as a lighter alternative. Just in the past few months, I sampled Ina-ho, and I find it to be a pleasant golden color. Some folks call it green, and I can see a bit of green in it (sometimes, like I sometimes see a bit of green in Yama-guri, too), but my perception is bright golden brown. It is one of those subtle shades in the edge of a few colors. Those three Iroshizuku colors cover a majority of my brown needs. When I need an alternative, I also have Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown, Edelstein Smoky Quarz (which shades for me almost too much—I am not sure what color it really wants to be sometimes), and Diamine Ancient Copper and Oxblood (when I need to go hard in the red direction).

 

But yes, I do like the Iroshizuku browns. None of the pinks/reds/oranges have up until now really tickled my fancy. Several of the Iro blues are nice enough, but I have so darn many blue inks that it is hard for me to find a new one that really gets me excited.

[N1003U]

  On 1/5/2021 at 12:47 PM, A Smug Dill said:

So many people seem to go ga-ga over kon-peki, which is a nice enough colour, but I much prefer tsuki-yo and syo-ro to that.

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Kon-peki is a fascinating color to me. I for some reason don’t want to like it, but it keeps speaking to me anyway (often literally, because my wife writes me notes with it..😛). It manages to be bright without being obnoxious, and I don’t think I have seen anything exactly like it.

 

But yes, Kon-peki does have both its groupies and its haters (I think maybe we fall in a smaller group of mildly indifferent), which means it is probably at least an interesting color.

[N1003U]

  On 1/6/2021 at 7:02 AM, lapis said:

What I like about Iroshis -- over and above their good behaviours -- is their descriptions of the names. They supersede the the use of "pure" as in a pure blue or a pure red. Like "Old Man Winter". Fits perfectly to what I myself recall of a great snowstorm. Sure, that's completely personal. Is there a "pure" wine"? Is their "pure" music"?

Expand  

The fairly consistent behavior of the Iroshizuku line is one thing I appreciate very much.

 

I would argue that yes, there are “pure” colors. Those “pure” colors are an infinitesimal point on a continuous spectrum. For example, the “pure” green that is neither blue nor yellow.

 

The problem is this: since “pure” is a single point on a continuous spectrum (we’ll keep it one-dimensional and leave the quantum physics out of this for now), chosen arbitrarily by particular individual, the odds of the point I call “pure” and the point someone else calks “pure” being exactly the same point on the spectrum are about, zero.

 

For example, after years of effort, I still seek a “pure” or “true” red. Every red ink I look at that is close to “pure” red seems either a little blue or a little yellow (the Iroshizuku reds seem to be a LOT blue, or yellow, or pink). I can’t discern in my visual system an ink that is just “red” I seem to imagine other colors along with it.

 

Wines are awful to classify because they have so many subtle variables—the majority of which are beyond the control of the winemaker—it is virtually impossible to make the exact same wine twice. One can play with the process a bit and get close (and some winemakers are better at controlling things than others), but there are always nonlinearties that change the end product in unexpected ways.

 

Yet many wines are clearly identifiable by varietal, despite being subtly different. That is to me part of what makes exploring them fun.

 

In a similar vein there are lots of colors that are clearly blue, or green, or red, etc., but they have various tints in all sorts of directions. Exploring them to find “pure” is a challenge. Whether that challenge is fun or maddening I suppose depends on individual circumstances.