Kyo-Iro – Flaming Red Of Fushimi

[crahptacular]

Kyo-Iro – Flaming Red of Fushimi

 

Among the Kyoto inks (Kyo no Oto and Kyo-Iro) I have, Flaming Red of Fushimi is one of the ones I’m less fond of. Similarly to some of the other inks in the line, the color is somewhat muted; but while I like this a lot in Soft Snow of Ohara, Aonibi, etc., I don’t think it works as well in a red ink. That being said, when doing a substantial amount of writing with this ink, I did appreciate the softer tone of the ink, which caused a lot less eye strain than bright, super-saturated reds. I also like that the paler tone allows for some nice gradient shading when writing in script with a wet enough nib (see Kokuya writing sample and compare print to script).

 

The ink’s hue is a medium red, with moderate saturation. Although I say moderate, it’s on the low side for reds, which are generally quite strong. The ink looks somewhat orange on some papers, somewhat pink on others. As far as its name goes, I’m not sure this is really a “flaming” red; based on the title (and limited knowledge of the shrine after which the ink is named), I would expect a significantly more saturated orange-leaning/vermillion color--something more like KWZ Grapefruit. I think most people, myself included, use red most often to catch the eye or draw attention, tasks for which this ink is not the best suited. Inversely, this makes it a better (easier on the eyes) writing color, with the lower saturation allowing for some nuance that in-your-face colors might lack. I enjoy this ink in generous nibs that provide wet lines, allowing the ink to display its full range of color, and I appreciate that it provides something different from other reds, which become difficult to distinguish after a certain point.

 

Lubrication: Medium

Shading: Moderate

Sheen: None

Water Resistance: None

Other notes: About halfway through the writing sample of Tsubame Fools paper, I ran out of ink, so I had to give it a tiny refill. You’ll see some irregular lines and skipping; this is the pen running dry, and not any problem with ink flow.

 

The following sample was done with a Nemosine Singularity (Broad) on Tomoe River (52gsm, white, loose-leaf). Doodle was done with a size 0 liner and size 3/0 mop. Flex writing was done with a Leonardt Principal dip nib.

 

Bad Scanner Disclaimer: The scan flattens the image a little too much, especially in the doodle, where a lot of the lights and darks disappear, but the bottom half is pretty accurate. All of the comparisons look relatively true to life on my monitor. I think the photo is more accurate pretty much across the board. The only thing the scan does better is pick up on the shading in the writing and get rid of the actual shadows.

 

Scan:

 

Photo:

 

Comparison inks from left to right (big smear is the featured ink):

Pilot Red, Diamine Vermillion, Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji, Nemosine Aeolis Palus Red, KWZ Thief’s Red,

 

Writing Samples (scans; no color correction) from Natsume Soseki’s I Am a Cat

 

Maruman Mnemosyne:

 

Tsubame Fool’s University:

 

Kokuya Campus:

[Jan2016]

Nice review again!!!

Thank you very much for your efforts!

 

I like reds, and I like the inks of Kyo-iro, but this is the only one I do not have, for me just a little bit too flat.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Jan2016

[visvamitra]

Excellent review.

[ENewton]

I would not be likely ever to buy a red ink, but what a lovely drawing.

[bureaudirect]

OMG this is so amazing. Thank you

[namrehsnoom]

Wonderful review. I'm not a fan of vibrant colors, and like the more muted tone of this red.

[VivaTerlingua]

Spectacular

[Carrau]

Beautifully done, once again. I really enjoy your descriptions of the subjects you've chosen.

[Ghost Plane]

Lovely review. This color hurts my eyes.