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Ku-Jaku - Pilot Iroshizuku

visvamitra

By visvamitra
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visvamitra Antique

visvamitra

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Posted (edited)

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


Ku-jaku was named after peacock. The ink is quite waterproof:



http://imageshack.com/a/img661/4429/jjTEsS.jpg




and complex



http://imageshack.com/a/img538/7056/UDwIIK.jpg



However I don't like the color.



Ink splash



http://imageshack.com/a/img661/4656/6JraII.jpg




Drops of ink on kitchen towel



http://imageshack.com/a/img538/3382/Y13uWb.jpg



Software ID




http://imageshack.com/a/img911/4028/G2jBUN.jpg



Oxford Recycled ( 90g), Kaweco Classic Sport używany jako zakraplacz, stalówka B




http://imageshack.com/a/img911/1724/t28gd0.jpg



http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8369/5sem7p.jpg




http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4871/fXU5nZ.jpg



Calendar, Hero 5028, stub 1,9



http://imageshack.com/a/img903/7126/QZQhNB.jpg




http://imageshack.com/a/img540/9002/OBr08D.jpg

Edited by visvamitra

https://wondernaut.wordpress.com/

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Cyber6 Donor Pen

Cyber6

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review Vis... I was always interested in Ku-Jaku... wasn't sure if it was too green for my liking.

 

After looking at your writing samples... it does look kind of too green for me. Is still a nice color.

 

 

THANKS!!

 

 

C.

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**** BauerInks.ca ****

**** MORE.... Robert Oster Signature INKS ****

**** NICK STEWART - KWZI INKs TEST ****

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking,

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dropoutkitchen New

dropoutkitchen

Posted
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I really love this ink. It's very unique, sort of changes color based on the lighting and angle. Playful yet has gravitas. As a lover of blue and green I find it very pleasing. It's similar to Syo-ro (dew on pine) but tends more towards blue than Syo-ro, which tends towards green.

 

Awesome review as always, thank you so much for the thoroughness and detail you go into.

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fountainpenlady Collectors Item

fountainpenlady

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Striking. I am not a Ku-Jaku or blue fan, but this is really nice. If nothing else, worth putting on the sample list for one or so fills.

Ea Alis Volat Propiis, per/Repletus Fontis Calamus!
She Flies by Her Own Wings, with filled Fountain Pen

 

Delta DolceVita, F-C Intrinsic 02, Pelikan M800 red/black striation, Bexley ATB Strawberry Swirl, Red Jinhao 159, Platinum 3776 Bourgogne. :wub:

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tinkerteacher Extremely Rare

tinkerteacher

Posted
Posted

Love this colour and loving the shading of Ku Jaku.

 

But, Diamine Eau de Nil is a better version of this colour at a fraction of the cost.

 

That hasn't stopped me though from ordering this in one of Pilot's new 15ml Iroshizuku bottles, haha.

Semper Faciens, Semper Discens

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jasonchickerson Extremely Rare

jasonchickerson

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As teals go, this one is way up there. I think it is aptly named, too. That chromatography is very peacock-like. Thanks, Vis.

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  • 8 months later...
Pterodactylus Collectors Item

Pterodactylus

Posted
Posted

My new favorite ink! I love the shading qualities and it flows wonderfully!

 

 

23289724670_a7154c911c_o.jpg

 

(Pelikan 400NN Brown Tortoise - OB ..... Iroshizuku Asa Goa)

 

.... and yes I own Ku Jaku, and yes I don´t like it, for me it´s a boring monochrome ink.

But this is only my opinion.

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Vis, why don't you like the color? (I've found that I don't use it and I'm not a huge fan either). I'm just wondering why.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
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Well, it has too much green to my taste. I love greens but not mixed with blue or blue mixed with green.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on that, only a handful motivate me (DBS, Thistle and Yama-Dori).

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HalloweenHJB Antique

HalloweenHJB

Posted
Posted

And then, for some of us, blue mixed with green or green mixed with blue is the best of both worlds! :)

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HalloweenHJB Antique

HalloweenHJB

Posted
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Yes, I know. It seems Jim Morrison and the band were right - People are Strange :)

 

 

Admittedly! ;)

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