Is Pilot Iroshizuku Fountain Pen Ink worth the money?

[dannyboy]

You know..I had no need to get this ink until I saw this thread. Than I wandered over to the reviews and am now drooling on and pondering about getting a bottle of the Wild Grape. Do I need it? Nope. Do I want it...mmmm yes.

Yes, by all means get the Yama-budo ink--I have it in an Omas demonstrator and it's a lovely color, shades wonderfully, and continues to please me every time I use it! You won't be disappointed!

[ladyambrosia]

ehe it is what we are here for indeed Cedar.

 

Dannyboy, I haven't "pulled the trigger" yet. But I do need something else from Jet Pens so it makes me ponder even harder. I am guessing by the end of the week I will fold and get it. Let it be known I put up a fight.

[tfwall]

Here's the persimmon at work, on the Jane Austen chapter.

 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/DAYoung_2006/Persimmon_small.jpg

 

 

I keep my M205 loaded up with Yu-yake for similar work.

 

 

[DAYoung]

I keep my M205 loaded up with Yu-yake for similar work.

 

Do you find it adds a little zing to editing? I mean, I enjoy editing, but proofreading and copy-editing can be dull. This makes it a little more vibrant, cheery.

 

Also, here's a better photo, folks.

 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/DAYoung_2006/editing.jpg

[notebookeresq]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Now, if only I hadn't misplaced my bottle before I even opened it . . .

[DAYoung]

Oh dear. My sympathies. That brings another four-letter word to mind - and it isn't 'fuyu'.

[troglokev]

Yet there is no prima facie relationship between fighting and courtesy.

 

No?

 

It's amazing how polite people can be, when the alternative is getting into a fight with someone carrying a bloody great claymore. Courtesy is the form that detente takes in martial societies.

Edited April 4, 2010 by troglokev

[DAYoung]

Yet there is no prima facie relationship between fighting and courtesy.

 

No?

 

It's amazing how polite people can be, when the alternative is getting into a fight with someone carrying a bloody great claymore. Courtesy is the form that detente takes in martial societies.

 

Heh. I agree, to a point.

 

But I was talking about the techne of fighting (and its relationship to moral virtue), not the decision to fight (or not).

Edited April 4, 2010 by DAYoung

[troglokev]

Yet there is no prima facie relationship between fighting and courtesy.

 

No?

 

It's amazing how polite people can be, when the alternative is getting into a fight with someone carrying a bloody great claymore. Courtesy is the form that detente takes in martial societies.

 

Heh. I agree, to a point.

 

But I was talking about the techne of fighting (and its relationship to moral virtue), not the decision to fight (or not).

This separation of the two seems somewhat arbitrary. How is the decision separate from the act? Can detente and its more genteel predecessors really be distinguished from actual fighting to such an extent?

 

Their relationships to moral virtue and the need to compromise on principles in order to avoid the carnage that would result from a failure of detente, diplomatic niceties, or courtesy among a warrior class, is surely a fertile ground for philosophy. Moral virtue is all too often a merit we endow corpses with, because only the dead can afford it.

 

 

Oh, and as far as the original thread is concerned: I'm using Iroshizuki shin-ryoku in a Pilot MyuRex for my editorial work at the moment. It's a good authoritative green, and very much worth the money.

Edited April 4, 2010 by troglokev

[DAYoung]

This separation of the two seems somewhat arbitrary. How is the decision separate from the act? Can detente and its more genteel predecessors really be distinguished from actual fighting to such an extent?

 

Their relationships to moral virtue and the need to compromise on principles in order to avoid the carnage that would result from a failure of detente, diplomatic niceties, or courtesy among a warrior class, is surely a fertile ground for philosophy. Moral virtue is all too often a merit we endow corpses with, because only the dead can afford it.

 

Have you read the article, or are you just responding to the abstract?

 

I ask, because the article is responding to a common and particular claim in the Japanese gendai budo tradition (with precursors in earlier samurai writings), i.e. that martial arts requires courtesy. I agree with this, but first I need to raise the question: surely one doesn't need courtesy to win fights? In many cases, the answer is 'no'. But this is an incomplete answer, hence the rest of the article.

 

On your point, I agree that courtesy can be strategically and tactically sound. But this is only one part of the Japanese exhortation.

Edited April 4, 2010 by DAYoung

[troglokev]

Just the abstract and your earlier response at this point.

 

I gather that you have explored these themes in the full article, then? I really should give it a read (though I don't have a subscription to the journal).

Edited April 4, 2010 by troglokev

[DAYoung]

Just the abstract and your earlier response at this point.

 

I gather that you have explored these themes in the full article, then? I really should give it a read.

 

I've tried to give a fuller answer above, in an edit (while you were replying).

 

The article is chiefly interested in the Japanese samurai and gendai budo traditions, and their philosophical underpinnings: Shinto, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism. I try to reveal why courtesy is so important in the Japanese martial arts, and what courtesy might contribute to successful gendai budo training. (Drawing on my own experience, as well as that of prominent writers.)

 

So it's not attempting to give a universal answer - it's a combination of philosophy and anthropology/sociology, I suppose.

 

I can email you a copy, if you like.

Edited April 4, 2010 by DAYoung

[troglokev]

PM sent, thanks.

 

We've gone a bit off topic, I'm afraid, so we should probably return the thread to its readers.

 

(Of course, part of the pleasure of FPN is the occasional genial hijacking of threads.)

 

Inks. Iroshizuku inks...

Edited April 4, 2010 by troglokev

[Vincent1278]

All things seem to be worth what the buyer is willing to pay. To say it's expensive may be correct in the sense that other FP ink may cost less in similar quantities, but if you take into consideration the size and design of the bottle along with the quality of the ink you might agree the price is just fine.

 

I have a bottle of Asa-Gao and prefer it to my other blues like J. Herbin, Pelikan, Aurora and Noodler's. The Iroshizuku writes smoother than all others and has a thick, vibrant quality I haven't found in another ink.

[ladyambrosia]

Well..I got the Yama-Budo... and loaded it into my Waterman Carene..I have to say I like the ink.

[fuchsiaprincess]

My only experience is with Asa-Gao, of which I have two bottles. It is a nice shade of blue, though I probably prefer the more purplish blue of Pelikan Royal Blue. It (Pilot Asa-Gao) is a nice blue ink which is very well behaved and comes in a beautiful ink bottle. I can afford the price, so that was not an issue for me. Whether it is worth it to you, only you can judge. Other than the nicer bottle, I would say it is not better than Waterman Florida Blue or Pelikan Royal Blue or Lamy Blue or Visconti Blue, just different. Try a bottle of Pelikan Royal Blue, which you can get for about $6 to $7 (I am quoting US prices), and is a beautiful blue ink and moreover is not as dry as some of the other Pelikan inks (it is about as wet as Waterman Florida Blue). Waterman Florida Blue is also another superb blue ink. You can peruse the ink review section and come to your own conclusions, but the ultimate test of an ink is to use it yourself.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

 

Hi Hany,

 

If you prefer a more purplish blue, Ajisai is the ink for you

[fuchsiaprincess]

PM sent, thanks.

 

We've gone a bit off topic, I'm afraid, so we should probably return the thread to its readers.

 

(Of course, part of the pleasure of FPN is the occasional genial hijacking of threads.)

 

Inks. Iroshizuku inks...

 

Tsk! Tsk! In trouble again I see, Kev...... :bunny01:

[DAYoung]

One more for the road. And this reminds me of another of Iroshizuku's virtues: a beautiful bottle, with a handy little dip to hold ink.

 

So, to recap:

 

- wet, free-flowing ink

- beautiful, vibrant colours

- nice shading

- beautiful bottle, with a helpful little inkwell in the bottom

 

I can't afford them all the time, but they're certainly worth trying. If I lived in Japan, or postage were better, Iroshizuku would probably be my mainstay (given it's cheaper than Waterman in some places).

 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/DAYoung_2006/inkbottle.jpg

 

 

 

[troglokev]

Tsk! Tsk! In trouble again I see, Kev...... :bunny01:

 

No trouble. Damon knows who has the green ink.

[DAYoung]

No trouble. Damon knows who has the green ink.

 

Not at all, Troglokev. (If 'green ink' means the same thing there as it does here.)

 

But a very nice segue.

 

I've not tried the Iroshizuku greens, but I do have some J. Herbin on the way...