Iroshizuku Tsukushi Review

[geoduc]

I've been looking through the ink review index and I noticed a few that could use some additional reviews. I'll try to contribute some for the inks that I own. First up is Pilot Iroshizuku tsukushi (horsetail brown). I've had this ink for a while and was initially ambivalent about the color. It has grown on me with continued use and I find that it has become a regular in my rotation. I consider it to be a medium brown with definite (but not overwhelming) red tones. It has excellent behavior characteristics, consistent with the rest of the Iroshizuku line.

 

Writing samples

The following samples were written with a variety of pens chosen to show the ink with different nib widths and wetness. Writing excerpts are from the short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog" by Mark Twain, and are written on Rhodia 80 g/m² paper.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5317712846_8e170859b1_b.jpg

 

 

Behavior

Flow: Moderate. Flows well in all pens without being too wet.

Lubrication: Good, although slightly less than the other Iroshizuku inks in my collection.

Saturation: Moderate. Nicely saturated but not overly so.

Feathering: None on good paper, slight on cheap copy paper.

Showthrough: None on good paper, slight on cheap copy paper

Bleedthrough: None on any paper I've tried.

Smear: None once dry.

Shading: Present but not dramatic.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5317712544_1380c1e6a6_b.jpg

 

Dry time: Sample below is on Rhodia paper. Most inks take a while to dry on this paper. On cheap copy paper, dry time is less than 3 seconds.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5317116853_9b99566f9f_b.jpg

 

Water resistance: Most of the color is gone, but writing is still legible after a 15 minute soak in a sink full of tapwater.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5317116959_2a97fd7939_z.jpg

 

Cleanup: Reasonably quick cleanup in all pens. No staining noticed.

Comparison with other colors: Swab samples of several brown inks are shown below. In writing samples, Waterman Havana Brown is the closest in color but it is considerably redder than tsukushi.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5317117039_0f17b11e27.jpg

 

Conclusion

Another of the excellent Iroshizuku inks. Many (myself included) complain about the cost of these inks, but they're worth it to me. The interesting colors and consistently good behavior throughout the range keep me coming back to them.

[KCat]

Lovely review, goo.

 

I do love this ink and your samples really show it off beautifully. Nice to know it's somewhat water resistant because I am using it in all my journals now. My Pelikan 620 nib gives it about the same shade as your Realo. Which is perfect in a Rhodia Webbie (IMO). Not too dark, not too light. Juuuus raht!

 

Thank you for introducing me to this ink and thank you to that other inky addict who sent me a nice little supply of it!

[linearM]

A very good review. You covered everything I could want to know in a very concise manner. I appreciated seeing the ink using a variety of nibs.

 

Currently I'm using Mont Blanc's brown for drawing and it also has some red tonality. It would be interesting to see them side by side. You mention using Iroshizuku inks. Have you tried Yama Budo? If you have how closely are they in color, I know that the yama budo looks more to the violet?

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the fine review.

 

I'm still not lovin' The Look of this one, but it does better than OK.

 

I like how the colour remains apparent from the narrow nib. (Is the Realo a bit dry?)

 

Hmm :hmm1:

 

Well, ah ...

 

... err,

... ah.

OK, I've decided: It's a definite maybe.

 

Now we just need Pear Tree / Goulet Pens et alia to start selling samples of the Pilot iroshizuku inkies - even if they don't/can't sell full bottles.

 

(Perhaps when I find the right Sailor from taizo, this ink'll be bundled ...)

 

Bye,

S1

 

EDIT - to clarify: The right Sailor pen from taizo, (you naughty FPN boys).

Edited January 3, 2011 by Sandy1

[MicheleB]

Clear, concise,thorough review - thanks.

 

Comparison with other inks and nibs is perfect info. Never thought Havana brown was quite so red! Me thinks you needed a PR Chocolate for comparison - comin right up! ;-)

[WendyNC]

I treated myself to a bottle of this at the Raleigh pen show and yes, it really is all that and a bag of chips. Love the stuff. Thank you for the review showing the different nib widths. Those are such useful comparisons!

[ThirdeYe]

I love the look of that ink. I already ordered Noodler's Standard Brown, so I'll wait to see if I like that as much before I get some of this.

[geoduc]

Lovely review, goo.

 

I do love this ink and your samples really show it off beautifully. Nice to know it's somewhat water resistant because I am using it in all my journals now. My Pelikan 620 nib gives it about the same shade as your Realo. Which is perfect in a Rhodia Webbie (IMO). Not too dark, not too light. Juuuus raht!

 

Thank you for introducing me to this ink and thank you to that other inky addict who sent me a nice little supply of it!

 

Thanks, KC. I'm always happy to enable a fellow FPNer.

 

Currently I'm using Mont Blanc's brown for drawing and it also has some red tonality. It would be interesting to see them side by side. You mention using Iroshizuku inks. Have you tried Yama Budo? If you have how closely are they in color, I know that the yama budo looks more to the violet?

 

I'm still on the lookout for the perfect brown, so I'll probably end up trying the MB version somewhere along the line. It will be interesting to see how they match up.

 

I do have a bottle of yama-budo. It is very different from tsukushi - it is a bright reddish violet color. The ink review index has several entries that show the color fairly accurately if you're interested in seeing the look.

 

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the fine review.

 

I'm still not lovin' The Look of this one, but it does better than OK.

 

I like how the colour remains apparent from the narrow nib. (Is the Realo a bit dry?)

 

Hmm :hmm1:

 

Well, ah ...

 

... err,

... ah.

OK, I've decided: It's a definite maybe.

 

Now we just need Pear Tree / Goulet Pens et alia to start selling samples of the Pilot iroshizuku inkies - even if they don't/can't sell full bottles.

 

(Perhaps when I find the right Sailor from taizo, this ink'll be bundled ...)

 

Bye,

S1

 

EDIT - to clarify: The right Sailor pen from taizo, (you naughty FPN boys).

 

Hi S1,

 

I can understand your reluctance to love the look. As I stated in the review, I was ambivalent about it at first and it has grown on me as I've used it. I think there is still room for the Perfect Brown, though. I'm hoping that Sailor will come up with one in their seasonal inks.

 

The Realo does run a bit dry - I'd call it a 5 on a 1-10 scale. Of the nibs I used for the review, the Edison is the wettest and you can see how the color darkens in that sample.

Edited January 3, 2011 by geoduc

[Gobblecup]

Are your swabs of Noodler's Walnut and #41 Brown mixed up, beause I am pretty sure Walnut is the darker of the two? :hmm1:

 

Thank you for the review, I am a big fan of brown inks and it is nice to have a good review of all our options our there!

Edited January 4, 2011 by Gobblecup

[geoduc]

Are your swabs of Noodler's Walnut and #41 Brown mixed up, beause I am pretty sure Walnut is the darker of the two? :hmm1:

 

Thank you for the review, I am a big fan of brown inks and it is nice to have a good review of all our options our there!

 

 

Nope, they're not mixed up. My bottle of Walnut isn't that dark. Perhaps there's some batch variation? The #41 brown I have is from a sample I purchased and is quite dark. I tried it and didn't particularly like the color or the performance so I won't be getting a bottle of that one.

 

Sandy1 has said that she'll be doing an extensive review series on some browns soon. We can all look forward to seeing some more brown options in the near future.

[DwarvenChef]

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

[antidote3]

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

 

+1 Ditto

[geoduc]

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

 

 

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

 

+1 Ditto

 

Interesting. My bottle of Walnut writes as a medium dark brown with yellow undertones.

 

I'll give the bottle a good shaking before I use it next to see if that makes a difference. It might be that the some of the dye has settled out in the bottom - I've had that happen with another Noodler's color (hunter green) in the past.

[Gobblecup]

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

 

 

I was thinking the same thing about the Walnut, mine is very dark, near black enough to use as black.

 

+1 Ditto

 

Interesting. My bottle of Walnut writes as a medium dark brown with yellow undertones.

 

I'll give the bottle a good shaking before I use it next to see if that makes a difference. It might be that the some of the dye has settled out in the bottom - I've had that happen with another Noodler's color (hunter green) in the past.

 

Sounds like that could be the case, because as another said, this brown is so dark its almost black! I can see batch variation but that looks like another colour entirely. Let us know if you see any difference in the future.

 

Thanks

 

Edit: I should add I really like the look of the Iroshizuku Tsukushi the more I look at it, your handwriting does it justice, and it seems to have some shading! It reminds me a bit of Noodler's Polar Brown, which is more chalky, and more of a milk chocolate colour.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Gobblecup

[KCat]

A very good review. You covered everything I could want to know in a very concise manner. I appreciated seeing the ink using a variety of nibs.

 

Currently I'm using Mont Blanc's brown for drawing and it also has some red tonality. It would be interesting to see them side by side. You mention using Iroshizuku inks. Have you tried Yama Budo? If you have how closely are they in color, I know that the yama budo looks more to the violet?

 

are you thinking of Yama guri? Yama Budo is, to my eye, a very deep magenta. Similar to Noodler's Saguaro Wine but slightly more purplish. Yama-guri is the greener/grayer brown.

 

I have all three in samples and can post some comparison swaths along with some other browns. Have been meaning to do so and will. I went on a search for my favorite brown and ended up with Tsukushi.

 

I think there is still a brown that needs to be made that is slightly less red. Diamine Saddle almost got me but was too dry in the designated Pen for Brown Ink.

[pelman]

Beautiful ink and even more impressive handwriting. I just ordered a bottle of Yama guri and almost pulled the trigger on this one but... I an excited to try this line of inks.

I have actually been quite satisfied with my regular Noodler standard brown.

 

Thank you for the review.

[mongrelnomad]

Sorry, but it's all about the Yama-Guri! It's like a matt-brown black hole, sucking up all light and leaving the page looking like velvet.

 

(In the glossy browns, I'm a Sailor Jentle brown kind guy)...

Edited January 19, 2011 by mongrelnomad

[geoduc]

Sorry, but it's all about the Yama-Guri! It's like a matt-brown black hole, sucking up all light and leaving the page looking like velvet.

 

(In the glossy browns, I'm a Sailor Jentle brown kind guy)...

 

That's okay, I like yama-guri as well. Tsukushi and yama-guri have both earned a regular spot in my ink rotation.

[Penquin]

Thanks for the nice review! I bought one after reading the review (along with a momiji)...

[anaximander]

Thanks for the review. It seems that both of the Iroshizuku browns get less attention than the many blues. I love yama-guri and now I'm thinking I should try the other one.