Visit To The Sailor Ink Blender

[MythicalUnicorn]

Several times a year in different locations around Japan, Sailor conducts an event where [one of their?] ink blenders camps out at a bungu store and receives requests from customers to create an ink to their individual specifications. I learned about this from the ladies at Shosaikan in Aoyama, when lamenting that they did not carry Noodler's Apache Sunset. "Why don't you go and see the ink blender, and have him make it for you?"

 

Lower down in the post I will put a link from the Sailor web page that show when and where all the events are.

 

Getting a ticket (a seiriken) for this event takes a bit of planning, as I learned from my first attempt to participate. Back in August I tried to go to one that was held at Maruzen in Kawasaki. I had no idea how popular this event was, and foolishly chose to arrive thirty minutes before the event start time on the second day, a Sunday. By the time I got there, a Sailor employee was explaining to those stills standing around that all of the seiriken were sold out. I ended up just watching a bit, and then left with my tail between my legs.

 

Next time around the event was held at K Itoya in Ginza, and I did a little asking around to see how early I really needed to arrive to secure a spot. None of the clerks at stores where the event is held were willing to give me a concrete answer, most explaining that there is a difference, of course, in how many people show up based on the economy (many more people this year than last because the economy has improved) and what day of the week the event is held.

 

Another important factor to take into consideration is how many doors there are to the stationary store. Unless you are attending an event at a place you have seen it conducted before, if there is more than one door to the store (such as the nihonbashi maruzen...), you would have no idea were to stand to line up. Fortunately K Itoya has only one entrance. I ended getting there a solid two hours prior, and at about the one hour prior mark, there was so many people in line that it was clear that no everyone was going to get a turn. Supposedly the blender can see about thirty people in one day.

 

About thirty minutes prior, someone from the store starts handing out the seiriken, and from that point, you are free to go about as you wish, since your position is secure.

 

Interestingly, there were about 85% women in line, and no other foreigners. I spoke with a couple of people in line, and it seems that many were return customers. The event has been written up in publications like Shumi no bungu bako (趣味の文具箱) so it's pretty clear that people know about this event and what they're going to get out of it.

 

The ink blender is a long time sailor employee and has a chemistry background, so he has a wealth of knowledge, of course. He has also been doing the event for several years now, and keeps a notebook of all the inks he has made for people, so I think one can ask him for pretty much anything and he can address the request.

 

I asked him to make something as close as possible to bung box sweet potato purple. He explained that he could not make exactly the same thing as any of the different store special inks, but as long as I was only asking for something "extremely similar," he could accommodate the request. l

 

Apparently sweet potato purple was not only popular among foreigners, and he said he had recently made a batch for the particular store, so it took him all of five seconds to put together the test batch. Since I had never seen the ink in real life, I was unable to really know how similar it was to the "real thing," and just decided to take his word for it. I questioned whether I should be able to see the green and gold sheens, and he explained that it really depends on the pen and on the paper, and gave me a little bit of an explanation of the physics of colors, explaining how the paper can soak up the components that reflect the particular colors you're hoping to see.

 

At the end he asked me what I wanted to call it, and wrote down my name and the name of the color in his log book. Each customer gets about fifteen minutes. Because I wasn't truly asking him for something new, our whole interaction took all of five minutes.

 

Although I was disappointed initially not to be able to see the different color sheens at the store and on the papers I had at home, at the time, it wasn't until I purchased a notebook from Nagasawa bungu senta in Kobe made from their Graphilo that I really got to see what this ink is capable of. It is incredible. Unbelievable. Sometimes I just make scribbles and fill in shapes just to look at it from different angles under the light. The only thing I have in my collections that compares is J Herbin 1670 Emerald du Chivor.

 

Here is a link to the sailor website with the event calendar. The ink blender event is called Ink Kobo (インク工房）

 

https://www.sailor.co.jp/event

 

There's a description of the even one screen down, and a picture of the blender. And the calendar below that.

 

Next event is next weekend at the Tamagawa Itoya. I'll try again, this time if I am lucky enough to get a ticket, I will ask for something slimilar to Jentle Apricot, or the saffronish yellow that they do for Nagasawa.

 

I will be putting up a post with a review of graphilo paper that will have pictures of what my purple and Emerald Du Chivor and several other intesting inks look like on that paper. STBY.

 

 

[haruka337]

Thank you for this post! Facinating to read of your experience at such an event.

[FOUR X FOUR]

That sounds like a lot of fun

[swanjun]

Thank you very much for writing about your experience!

[ville900]

Many many thanks for sharing your experience in such a vivid way.

[MythicalUnicorn]

you're welcome. There is another coming up this weekend!

 

Stby for a report on a visit to Kakimori Ink Stand. A chance to do the blending yourself!

 

Have a look at this link: http://www.kakimori.com/works/pg10.html

 

This site shows everything you get to do, so my report might be superfluous.

[Arctic_Wolf]

That's awesome! Now I just need an excuse to go to Japan!

[haruka337]

Wonderful! Keep the reports comin'.

[RayJ]

Let us know whether he agrees to make something close to sailor Apricot or actually makes the apricot for you. It's not an exclusive ink like sweet potato purple, just discontinued.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Edited November 10, 2015 by RayJ

[MythicalUnicorn]

I guess I need to think hard about this. If I already have noodle's apache sunset, do I really need sailor apricot? I am also thinking I want something mustard colored, like Kobe 21, Taisanji yellow. The only other inks close are De Atramentis Michaelangelo and J. Herbin Burmese Amber. And I have those, and they're not the mustard I am looking for.

 

Orange is my favorite color, and I have tons of oranges. Private reserve orange crush, Noodler's cayenne, Noodler's habenero, Diamine Pumpkin, and just today I got my hands on a bottom of Lamy Copper Orange, which is moving into second place now. Under Apache Sunset.

 

I can only ask the Ink blender for one, so it's a tough choice. It might be fun to ask him to experiment a little. I bet if I ask him for Jentle Apricot, he'll look into his little book, put it together and send me on my way in three minutes flat...

[RayJ]

^I think you are the perfect guy to ask for this.

Do you know Maruzen Akane? It was limited to 300 bottles so maybe you can ask him to make something like that? It's a red colored ink.

[Algester]

if I were you think deep this guy has made a lot of inks some may look like dead ringers with each other...

I'm posting this so you probably have an idea on the "image" of your next ink

decide and stick what is closest to your liking

or maybe you may try and image a juni-hitoe and decide to use the traditional flamboyant colors

Edited November 10, 2015 by Algester

[sanfong]

Looks like you had so much fun in this event. Thanks for sharing.

[VivienR]

Wow, that's a truly unique experience.. Would be amazing to experience these once. I would request some purple around my favorite purple trio: Diamine Imperial Purple - Sailor Kobe Sannomiya Panse - Diamine Majestic Purple. Thank you for sharing these wonderful experience. Would love to hear more about you learn about papers, and ink properties, such things.

[Algester]

mostly I also posted the event times in the inky thoughts thread but I just got too lazy going about it... at least I know more or less you should be there at least 2 hour before the start of the event yes these events are certainly popular and shops that get a hold of these inks can order them...

resulting in what is now the link to my thread in the inky thoughts (at least considering what I got from Kanayama a representative from the X shop will attend the ink clinic and have 1 ink made and this will go on until a "line" is complete which is more or less 15 sessions and order batch of it on an occasional basis)... found on my signature... yes Ishimura Osamu... maybe one day...

http://www.innovations-i.com/focus/1466.html

the man behind the inks...

Edited November 15, 2015 by Algester

[benjitzu]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Looking forward to seeing your review of the ink

[rudyhou]

i can only wish to live in japan so i could get my very own blend of ink, since i tend to be dissatisfied by the many ink colors out there, though some came real close.

[MythicalUnicorn]

I was able to do it again at B-stock in Yokohama. A little tricky because there are multiple entrances to the department store. But I did a recon mission first to figure out which the entrance closest to the store is. It's the third floor parking lot entrance that is closest to murasaki sports. Should they have ink koubo there again... this time I went on Sunday and mr ishimaru's assistant told me that on the previous day they actually didn't sell out and there was no line in the afternoon.

 

I was able to get jentle apricot. It made my day. It's not [exactly] like any orange ink I already have. Closest is diamine blaze orange. He put it together in ten seconds flat. And although I did ask for it carefully ("as close to jentle apricot as possible"), he didn't have any issue making it for me. I think he may have actualky been tickled to have a fan that would go to such lengths to seek out one of his creations).

 

So now my orange collection includes:

 

CD electric orange

Lamy copper orange

Diamine pumpkin and blaze orange

Noodler's Apache sunset, cayenne, habanero and dragons napalm

Private reserve orange crush

Iroshizuku fuyugaki

My own creation from kakimori inkstand. Which is sort of half way between Apache sunset and jentle apricot

 

Next up is a mustard colored ink. A color I haven't been able to find yet. Mr ishimaru suggested I bring some of the mustard that I want to have my ink look like, recognizing that there are many types of mustard in the world.

Edited December 26, 2015 by MythicalUnicorn

[inotrym]

So freaking jealous!

[DrDebG]

What an opportunity and experience! I would just like to sit and watch him work and listen to him as he speaks (if only I knew Japanese). I find ink formulations fascinating.

 

I would love to have an ink that resembles freshly fallen snow at twilight on a very cold day. It is sort of a pale blue with orange and deep purple blue highlights.

 

Enjoy your creations!