Tsukushi - Pilot Iroshizuku

[visvamitra]

In December 2007 Pilot's created exclusive line of inks called Iroshizuku. I believe they may well be the most well known fountain pen inks in pen world. These inks are supposed to work in any pen with any nib on any paper and in any situation. I haven't tried all of them but so far the Iroshizuku inks I've tried were behaving flawlessly.

The colors were created by Kiyomi Hasegawa who after fifteen years of working in a stationary shop and communicating with Clients come to conclusion that not all fountain pen users are willing to write in black and blue. Wise woman.

The bottles are stunning although they have their issues: if the ink is left unused for some time the cap tends to stick and break when you try to twist it open. It happened to my bottle of Shin-Ryoku.

Anyway Iroshizuku line of inks counts 24 "standard" colors. Three inks were made some time ago for Tokyo stores: Edo-Murasaki, Fukagawa-Nezu and Shimbashi-Iro.After seeing the scans over blogosphere I wish these three were accesible, because they look interesting. Edo - Murasaki looks cool while Murasaki - Shikibu is of no interest to me. Even though I kind of like Fuyu-Syogun I find Fukagawa-Nezu more compelling.

Nothing indicates Pilot plans on extending the official line any time soon (if ever) so let's take a look at what's possible to obtain from dealers and online shops.

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1595/lYAayJ.jpg

I don't have all of the inks but sooner or later I'll try to check them all. With time I'll review all of them (hopefully).

1. Ajisai
   
2. Ama-Iro
   
3. Asa-Gao
   
4. Chiku-Rin
   
5. Fuyu-Gaki
   
6. Fuyu-Syogun
   
7. Ina-Ho
   
8. Kiri-Same
   
9. Kon-Peki
   
10. Kosumosu
    
11. Ku-Jaku
    
12. Momiji
    
13. Murasaki-Shikibu
    
14. Shin-Kai
    
15. Shin-Ryoku
    
16. Syo-Ro
    
17. Take-Sumi
    
18. Tsuki-Yo
    
19. Tsukushi
    
20. Tsutsuji
    
21. Tsuyu-Kusa
    
22. Yama-Budo
    
23. Yama-Guri
    
24. Yu-Yake
    

Tsukushi is nice warm brown ink. There are more interesting browns on the market but this one is worth attention as well.

It's waterproof to some extent.

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/7452/aZ2IeC.jpg

The color is quite complex.

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/4053/JlivO2.jpg

Bottle

http://imageshack.com/a/img691/6519/h322.jpg

Ink splash

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8944/iAlVcX.jpg

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/5906/hnaaNO.jpg

Software ID

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/3599/8XvhKn.jpg

Zakres koloru

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4823/2ZxZjL.jpg

Oxford Recycled ( 90g, satined paper), Kaweco Classic Sport turned to eyedropper, broad nib

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/2664/IN0aGA.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4574/5SwWGp.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8849/mgG19T.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/1649/pLDZLE.jpg

Poljet 80

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/3921/XvbFYN.jpg

[hypnostene]

Oh wow. That's a complex chromatography. Lovely colour - thanks for another great review. Now if only I could get my hands on some samples of this and Yama guri...

[ehemem]

I tried this ink a few years ago and thought it was too "pink" for me. I much prefer Yama-Guri, and have a briar wood pen inked with it...

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review. The chromatography is really interesting to see.

I like Tsukushi when I tried it, but found that I had a slight preference for Yama-guri, color-wise.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jasonchickerson]

Wow, Vis. Great review, as usual.

 

I just almost made a review of Tsukushi myself today, but went with Yama-guri instead, which will be up in a moment. And you've reminded me that I forgot the chromatography.

 

 

I tried this ink a few years ago and thought it was too "pink" for me. I much prefer Yama-Guri, and have a briar wood pen inked with it...

 

Both of these colors have a burgundy undertone, which serves to keep the colors, while very different, in the same family. I'm sure it is not to everyone's taste. You may like Faber-Castell's Hazelnut Brown, which is more lavender or Herbin's Café des Îles, which is a single dye with no undertones at all. The three colors are very, very alike, though Tsukushi is much more water resistant.

[lgsoltek]

Me too I like Yama-guri more.

[Quadratus]

Thanks for all the reviews of the Iroshizuku range. These are fabulous inks. Happily they are reasonably affordable via Ebay where Japanese sellers are now offering them for £12-13 each, (the only drawback being the three weeks the bottle takes to arrive from Japan to the UK). But at the prices charged for the ink in UK or European shops, the wait is well worth while.

 

Tsukushi is a very interesting deep and subtle brown. I find the depth of its "browness" can vary somewhat depending on the quality of the paper and the type of nib used (a good medium nib will show off the ink's deep shading, and an italic even better). For me, its only rival as a deep brown is the Visconti brown or the Delta sepia/brown.

[denbuh]

What a lovely color! It almost seems taupe-ish with all the purple in it. I don't have any brown inks in my arsenal, so I am on the lookout, and this one seems like it would be right up my alley. Thanks for the great review!

[tinta]

Thanks for another great ink review visvamitra.

Strange, on my monitor I see a lot of purple tones that I do not see in my own wide, wet writing.

Tsukushi has been my preferred sepia if I want a toned down "mushroomy" colour,... otherwise it's OMAS sepia.

[Bhavna]

Too much burgundy for me, I do prefer Yama-Guri. Thank you for the

[benjitzu]

Thanks for the great review. I've ordered samples of this and yama-guri for a side-by-side comparison. Guessing I'll end up getting bottles of both ha!

[McKool]

May I respecfully suggest Akkerman's Bekakt Haags #23 Brown. A very rich and deep brown that lends to shading with the right Nib. No bleed, echo or feathering and flows well with all pens. Truly one of my favorites!

[Aquaria]

I like this shade of brown as a softer shade of the color that is pretty and soothing to the eyes.

 

However, I cannot look at the name of this ink without thinking of the character from Japan's version of Pride and Prejudice, Hana Yori Dango. The mangaka intentionally named her Tsukushi to make numerous references and puns to how the character is a weed amidst flowers--which is exactly her charm. The manga has been made into at least four live-action versions across Asia (Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea and India). It's sort of sad and shocking that a high school rom-com can have more maturity and wisdom than 90% of American movies or TV shows. Highly recommend the Japanese live-action series for rom-com fans. Keep hankies handy, though. It gets intense.

[crahptacular]

Funny, I never made that connection. I really enjoyed HYD growing up (well, I started with Meteor Garden, the TW version) but this is the first time I've heard it referred to as the "Pride and Prejudice" of Japan. Can't say the color reminds me of the character much, but it's fun to think about

[NicolausPiscator]

Indeed interesting chromatographic effects! I should try it, too. In regard to the hue... I am a complicated person when it comes to brown... and within the Iroshizuku series I'm in love with Fuyu-Syogun.