Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-Ro

[Guest Gracie]

Hi Vintage,

 

My son just brought me back a bottle of Iroshizuku Kiri-same from Japan, after I had read a review somewhere describing it as a subtle sea-green, but it is definitely grey. Would you be interested in swapping your Syo-Ro for it, since we are both on the same side of the longest border in the world and don't have to worry about customs? My old Waterman's Blue-Black, which was actually blue-green, has run out and the new issue is truly blue-black, at least so far, so I'm trying to replace that.

[fabrimedeiros]

In my opinion, teal dark blue inks are very boring. However those teal blue are nice to use at work. This ink does not catch my eye, but this review is very nice, good photos. I think photos can represent the color better than any nowadays scanner.

 

Edit: typo

Edited January 5, 2012 by fabrimedeiros

[GreenVelvet]

In my opinion, teal dark blue inks are very boring.

 

To each her own! To me, the dark teal blues and blue-greens are the most interesting inks out there.

 

[saskia_madding]

I do love dark teal inks, but Syo-ro is just too dusky for me. The dusky inks I like are few and far between; I tend to prefer more vibrant, saturated inks.

[ObserveClosely]

I have been playing around with Syo-ro in a Stillman & Birm "Gamma" paper journal, using a Platinum #3776 Music nib, and I am getting a copper-sheen metallic rim. It's really nifty. I also like how the Syo-ro shifts hue as it dries. Very mesmerizing. I like this ink A LOT.

[saskia_madding]

If it didn't become so dusky when it dries, then I'd love this ink. So maybe I just need to use it with a broader nib. I'll give it a shot over the weekend ... thanks for the tip!

[ObserveClosely]

dusky [duhs-kee] adjective

Definition: dark-hued; murky

Synonyms: bleak, cheerless, cloudy, desolate, dim, dismal, dull, funereal, gloomy, joyless, lightless, obscure, overcast, shadowy, shady, unilluminated, veiled.

 

Hmmm. Yes, maybe it won't be so depressing in a broader nib. I also have it in a "B" Pelikan P55, also very wet line.

[Guest Gracie]

And I repeat (as above) I'm looking for someone wishing to trade Syo-ro for my once dipped bottle of Iroshizuku Kiri-same, which isn't dusky at all. It is nice and transparent, and probably looks great with a broad nib which would give it nuance, but I use very fine nibs and really wanted teal. Interested?

[SamCapote]

Goulet pens have samples of all these Iroshizuku inks now. I wonder how you pronounce Syo-Ro ?

 

Try as I might, the best I can come up with is "Say Yo, Ro" Except I don't know anyone named Ro, and therefore I'm unable to ask them to say "Yo!"

 

Maybe it's pronounced "sew row" in which case I could go to a tailor shop, and see if there are any Chinese managers running around, commanding their employees: "Sew Row! No talkie! Sew Row Now!"

 

Anyway, I should go back to what I was doing.

[Laura N]

My Japanese language skills don't go much beyond the sushi bar, but I pronounce it "sigh-oh ro." One of my favorite inks, though I use it in with a broad nib or a flex nib.

[GreenVelvet]

I wonder how you pronounce Syo-Ro ?

 

I always say Syo to rhyme with trio, except that the "i" is shorter and goes right to the o.

 

Any Japanese experts that can clear it up?

[XiaoMG]

I always say Syo to rhyme with trio, except that the "i" is shorter and goes right to the o.

 

Any Japanese experts that can clear it up?

Sho-roe, though most will inflect their 'r' to sound much more like a 'd', as the English pronunciation of 'r' is absent in Japanese. The 'y' in the naming is an element of a particular Romanization method. For a quick reminder of it, remember that 'syogun' in fuyu-syogun is the fairly well-known Japanese word 'shogun'.

[RobbW]

Sam you're correct, the Ro is pronounced like Row in English. Say the R like one roll of a Spanish R and you'll sound like a pro.

 

The Syo is more difficult, in that I've never seen the Japanese characters rendered that way in Roman characters. It should be "Shyo" (yes, you drop the "i" in the combined Roman written form, but it's still faintly pronounced. It's a combination of two characters: Shi (say "She") and Yo (as in half of a yo-yo). To pronounce, you combine Shi and Yo into one syllable, light on the "i" sound--almost but not quite skipping over that "i".

 

Shyo-Ro.

[RobbW]

Thanks for the review, Simon, I'm glad that I saw it. I tried this ink a year ago and didn't care for it. My problem was that I liked the color wet better than dry. There is a huge difference. From your photos, I can see that the color stands on its own for me. I was just disappointed by the difference.

 

It also flowed like crazy out of my "F" P-51 and made it write broader than broad. Now I suspect that this flow issue was influenced by the pen and maybe the paper. I'll try it in my Pilot 823 and see what happens, it should be made for that pen, if any ink is.

[GreenVelvet]

I always say Syo to rhyme with trio, except that the "i" is shorter and goes right to the o.

 

Any Japanese experts that can clear it up?

Sho-roe, though most will inflect their 'r' to sound much more like a 'd', as the English pronunciation of 'r' is absent in Japanese. The 'y' in the naming is an element of a particular Romanization method. For a quick reminder of it, remember that 'syogun' in fuyu-syogun is the fairly well-known Japanese word 'shogun'.

 

Thank you - and for the fuyu-syogun note as well!

[swanjun]

Sam you're correct, the Ro is pronounced like Row in English. Say the R like one roll of a Spanish R and you'll sound like a pro.

 

The Syo is more difficult, in that I've never seen the Japanese characters rendered that way in Roman characters. It should be "Shyo" (yes, you drop the "i" in the combined Roman written form, but it's still faintly pronounced. It's a combination of two characters: Shi (say "She") and Yo (as in half of a yo-yo). To pronounce, you combine Shi and Yo into one syllable, light on the "i" sound--almost but not quite skipping over that "i".

 

Shyo-Ro.

 

What Robb said.

 

ETA: I'll add a random note, similar to how Shi and Yo are combined into one syllable, so are Ki and Yo in the formation of the word "Tokyo." So it should have two syllables and not three.

Edited January 16, 2012 by swanjun

[leod]

i like this ink, it's fun to watch the ink's dramatic color change

[saskia_madding]

I wanted to unearth this thread and report that I take it all back. I've come to absolutely adore this ink! I tried it in broad nibs on CF paper and it is gorgeous. I am definitely buying a bottle with my next shipment from The Ink Flow.

[nicholasyeo]

This ink is actually quite understated!

[ThirdeYe]

I wanted to unearth this thread and report that I take it all back. I've come to absolutely adore this ink! I tried it in broad nibs on CF paper and it is gorgeous. I am definitely buying a bottle with my next shipment from The Ink Flow.

 

I found that paper type makes all the difference with this ink. I used it in my wet Vanishing Point on the cheap copy paper at work and it was just "meh", but on better paper, it looks really nice.