Iroshizuku Asa-Gao

[AllieFromDevon]

I was excited to receive today a bottle of Iroshizuku asa-gao. I was interested in whether or not my Pilot Metropolitan pen would behave any differently with a Pilot ink. I had previously used MB turquoise and Diamine imperial purple and, whilst I was happy enough with both of those, I felt they wrote quite dry with the Metro fine nib and I just had a lot of curiosity about Iroshizuku ink, given what I had read on FPN and Goulet. Part of me thought it would turn out to be overpriced hype. I managed to get the asa-gao at a good price so I took the plunge! Well, well. It turns out that this ink does make a difference. It's definitely wetter than the MB and Diamine inks I had used. Whereas they dried instantly on my paper, the asa-gao takes a few seconds. It takes hardly any pressure to write, and the nib feels somehow more lubricated. I love the colour, which to my eyes looks like a vibrant royal blue and the glass bottle with its trademark silk thread adornment is very classy. All in all, I love this ink and am looking forward to trying many more colours in the future.

[haruka337]

Fourteen Iroshizuku bottles later and I've yet to hit a dud--you'll not be disappointed.

[sheeptotherescue]

It's amazing what a difference ink makes to pens, isn't it? I've only tried an Iroshizuku ink once, Fuyu-gaki. Now that you mention it, I should put it next in line, since it's such a lovely fall color. Here's to many more successful ink and pen pairs!

[baik12]

I love Iroshizuku inks! They have wonderful colors and properties

But most of all, I think they have very romantic names.

I personally think "morning glory" is a really good fit for asa-gao color

[Buzz_130]

I always have one pen loaded with Asa Gao as my favorite work ink. I've used this ink in vintage, modern, Japanese, and Western pens, and I works with everything from a B to EF. My Nakaya has only been loaded with Asa Gao.

 

My family enjoys the other colors. My wife's favorite color is Shin Kai, and my daughters regularly use Ama Iro. My sons are starting to drift toward Kon Peki and Asa Gao.

 

My only regret is that we didn't buy more of these inks when we lived in Japan to bring back to the US! You just can't beat the price when buying in Tokyo!

 

Buzz

[Mulrich]

I bought a bunch of Iroshizuku samples from Goulet and Asa-Gao is probably my favorite. I have a few more to cycle through but I plan on buying a full bottle of Asa-Gao once the samples run dry.

[ink-syringe]

Asa Gao is a great ink. It was my first and was crazy for it. Then I bought another and another, and like 9 more after that. And I didn't like any of them as much as the first one I got. Kon-peki was okay but if you have a few bottles of Sky High on hand it is a step down. Shin-kai, Kujaku, Tsuki-yo all looked great online and in scans but underwhelmed in real life. I did like Yu-Yake (probably my second favorite of the bunch), momji and Yamabudo were nice inks but were too girly for me ...

 

But even Asa Gao if I had to choose between it or Visconti Blue i'd take the Visconti Blue every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

In short, I found the Iroshizuku inks kind of over priced and over-rated. I found more joy in the Diamine or Sailor lines. Even MB has a better hit-miss ration for me.

 

 

I did 6 of the 15 ml bottles and was glad I did that. Samples would have been even smarter.

 

</wet_blanket>

[Algester]

well I could say Iroshizuku inks are cheaper if you compare them to the elusive sailor inks :3 by a long shot plus most of the Iroshizuku inks I own dont have exaggerated problems and perform decently to my needs and I like how Yuu-yake's concentrated color looks like

[haruka337]

I suppose it depends on where one lives, but I've not paid full pop for a bottle. Every full bottle of Iroshizuku has been between $15 to $20 (shipping included), though I did snag a bottle once for $13.

 

What a subjective matter color is! I thought I'd hate half of the colors I purchased, but I love all of it thus far and will complete the line before the year is over.

[ink-syringe]

I suppose it depends on where one lives

 

yep.

[Algester]

right now Philippines has an Iroshizuku introductory offer of being able to buy them for 20USD per 50ml bottle for 1 year! sadly... I already have the colors I wanted

[MathurinKerbouchard]

right now Philippines has an Iroshizuku introductory offer of being able to buy them for 20USD per 50ml bottle for 1 year! sadly... I already have the colors I wanted

Really Algester? That's great news! Kindly share with me where or who is offering the Iroshizuku inks. Thanks.

[Algester]

Really Algester? That's great news! Kindly share with me where or who is offering the Iroshizuku inks. Thanks.

since PH you get them from Cosmos Bazar the Pilot distributor else everythingcalligraphy

[MathurinKerbouchard]

Thank you Algester!

[Pen_Noob]

Based on the many positive reviews about Iroshizuku ink, I bought a bottle of murasaki-shikibu. Ink seems to be OK, but what a terrible color! Pale even in a wet pen. Maybe I will try the Asa-Gao after a few years, especially after I get over the shock of the crappy color of my ink.

[dvalliere]

Based on the many positive reviews about Iroshizuku ink, I bought a bottle of murasaki-shikibu. Ink seems to be OK, but what a terrible color! Pale even in a wet pen. Maybe I will try the Asa-Gao after a few years, especially after I get over the shock of the crappy color of my ink.

That's a pale ink. Always buy a sample to decide if you like a given ink (especially if you like it in the pen you'd use it with since inks look different in different pens). Try another one--Asa-gao is not pale; I love it and I loathe weak colors.

[Ronderick]

For the Iroshizuku series, the only time I took the plunge for the 50 ml bottle directly was the Asa-gao. I'm quite pleased that up till now I still have it in my primary work house pen.

 

However, when I tried the other colors, I went for the 15 ml bottles for sampling. My last attempt was with the Take-sumi, Yama-budo, and the Chiku-rin. Turns out that the green was wayyyyy too pale and the Yama-budo a tad-bit brighter than what I expected. However, I was totally sold on the Take-sumi, making it my go-to black ink.

[Arctic_Wolf]

My only complaints about the Iroshizuku series is either the price (if you buy it outside Japan) or the time it takes to ship if you get it from a japanese on-line retailer. Other than that, they're fantastic!