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Tsukushi - Pilot Iroshizuku


visvamitra

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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


Tsukushi is nice warm brown ink. There are more interesting browns on the market but this one is worth attention as well.



It's waterproof to some extent.



http://imageshack.com/a/img901/7452/aZ2IeC.jpg



The color is quite complex.



http://imageshack.com/a/img661/4053/JlivO2.jpg



Bottle



http://imageshack.com/a/img691/6519/h322.jpg



Ink splash



http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8944/iAlVcX.jpg



Drops of ink on kitchen towel




http://imageshack.com/a/img661/5906/hnaaNO.jpg



Software ID



http://imageshack.com/a/img538/3599/8XvhKn.jpg



Zakres koloru



http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4823/2ZxZjL.jpg



Oxford Recycled ( 90g, satined paper), Kaweco Classic Sport turned to eyedropper, broad nib




http://imageshack.com/a/img661/2664/IN0aGA.jpg



http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4574/5SwWGp.jpg




http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8849/mgG19T.jpg



http://imageshack.com/a/img673/1649/pLDZLE.jpg



Poljet 80



http://imageshack.com/a/img901/3921/XvbFYN.jpg



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Oh wow. That's a complex chromatography. Lovely colour - thanks for another great review. Now if only I could get my hands on some samples of this and Yama guri...

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I tried this ink a few years ago and thought it was too "pink" for me. I much prefer Yama-Guri, and have a briar wood pen inked with it...

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Thanks for the review. The chromatography is really interesting to see.

I like Tsukushi when I tried it, but found that I had a slight preference for Yama-guri, color-wise.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Wow, Vis. Great review, as usual.

 

I just almost made a review of Tsukushi myself today, but went with Yama-guri instead, which will be up in a moment. And you've reminded me that I forgot the chromatography.

 

 

I tried this ink a few years ago and thought it was too "pink" for me. I much prefer Yama-Guri, and have a briar wood pen inked with it...

 

Both of these colors have a burgundy undertone, which serves to keep the colors, while very different, in the same family. I'm sure it is not to everyone's taste. You may like Faber-Castell's Hazelnut Brown, which is more lavender or Herbin's Café des Îles, which is a single dye with no undertones at all. The three colors are very, very alike, though Tsukushi is much more water resistant.

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  • 7 months later...

Thanks for all the reviews of the Iroshizuku range. These are fabulous inks. Happily they are reasonably affordable via Ebay where Japanese sellers are now offering them for £12-13 each, (the only drawback being the three weeks the bottle takes to arrive from Japan to the UK). But at the prices charged for the ink in UK or European shops, the wait is well worth while.

 

Tsukushi is a very interesting deep and subtle brown. I find the depth of its "browness" can vary somewhat depending on the quality of the paper and the type of nib used (a good medium nib will show off the ink's deep shading, and an italic even better). For me, its only rival as a deep brown is the Visconti brown or the Delta sepia/brown.

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What a lovely color! It almost seems taupe-ish with all the purple in it. I don't have any brown inks in my arsenal, so I am on the lookout, and this one seems like it would be right up my alley. Thanks for the great review!

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Thanks for another great ink review visvamitra.

Strange, on my monitor I see a lot of purple tones that I do not see in my own wide, wet writing.

Tsukushi has been my preferred sepia if I want a toned down "mushroomy" colour,... otherwise it's OMAS sepia.

*Sailor 1911S, Black/gold, 14k. 0.8 mm. stub(JM) *1911S blue "Colours", 14k. H-B "M" BLS (PB)

*2 Sailor 1911S Burgundy/gold: 14k. 0.6 mm. "round-nosed" CI (MM) & 14k. 1.1 mm. CI (JM)

*Sailor Pro-Gear Slim Spec. Ed. "Fire",14k. (factory) "H-B"

*Kaweco SPECIAL FP: 14k. "B",-0.6 mm BLS & 14k."M" 0.4 mm. BLS (PB)

*Kaweco Stainless Steel Lilliput, 14k. "M" -0.7 mm.BLS, (PB)

 

 

 

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Too much burgundy for me, I do prefer Yama-Guri. Thank you for the

If there is righteousness in the heart, There will be beauty in character. If there is beauty in character, There will be harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, There will be order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, There will be peace in the world. Bhagawan Shri Satya Sai Baba

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Thanks for the great review. I've ordered samples of this and yama-guri for a side-by-side comparison. Guessing I'll end up getting bottles of both ha!

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  • 1 year later...

May I respecfully suggest Akkerman's Bekakt Haags #23 Brown. A very rich and deep brown that lends to shading with the right Nib. No bleed, echo or feathering and flows well with all pens. Truly one of my favorites!

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  • 1 year later...

I like this shade of brown as a softer shade of the color that is pretty and soothing to the eyes.

 

However, I cannot look at the name of this ink without thinking of the character from Japan's version of Pride and Prejudice, Hana Yori Dango. The mangaka intentionally named her Tsukushi to make numerous references and puns to how the character is a weed amidst flowers--which is exactly her charm. The manga has been made into at least four live-action versions across Asia (Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea and India). It's sort of sad and shocking that a high school rom-com can have more maturity and wisdom than 90% of American movies or TV shows. Highly recommend the Japanese live-action series for rom-com fans. Keep hankies handy, though. It gets intense.

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Funny, I never made that connection. I really enjoyed HYD growing up (well, I started with Meteor Garden, the TW version) but this is the first time I've heard it referred to as the "Pride and Prejudice" of Japan. Can't say the color reminds me of the character much, but it's fun to think about :)

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Indeed interesting chromatographic effects! I should try it, too. In regard to the hue... I am a complicated person when it comes to brown... and within the Iroshizuku series I'm in love with Fuyu-Syogun.

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