Kobe Nagasawa (By Sailor) #51 – Kano-Cho Midnight

[crahptacular]

Kobe Nagasawa (by Sailor) #51 – Kano-Cho Midnight

 

This is possibly the most lubricating ink in my collection (as far as feeling of nib on paper goes; I don’t know if it is piston-lubricating or not). It makes every pen I’ve used feel noticeably smoother across the page. In some cases this can be a little disconcerting; I personally prefer at least a little feedback when writing, as it gives me better control. That being said, the feeling of nib gliding on paper is certainly not unpleasant, and those who enjoy “butter-smooth” writing experiences will definitely appreciate this ink.

 

The color is a dark blue-purple which appears black until closely inspected. I’ve included Kiwa-Guro as a comparison ink so you can see that in reality Kano-Cho Midnight is quite far from being black. It also has a beautiful green sheen under the right conditions. Personally, I'm reminded of neon signage being reflected on wet pavement in the middle of the night—that’s my interpretation of the ink’s name, at least (Kano-Cho is a district in downtown Kobe, Japan). This is a highly saturated ink, and is well-behaved in every way. I’ve had this particular pen inked with this color for about six months of irregular use (breaks of 1 month +) without flushing (I’m lazy… ). But I gave the pen a thorough wash after writing this review and it cleaned out just as easily as if I had inked it yesterday, and I haven’t seen so much as a hint of nib creep, crust, staining, etc. Also, I think this ink makes some really pretty swirls when washed with water with the red and blue dyes separating; and given the saturation of the ink, there’s plenty of both to make for some interesting effects. Overall, this is a unique ink in my collection, and one of my favorites from the Kobe Nagasawa line.

 

Lubrication: Very High (this ink will make pretty much any nib feel smooth)

Shading: None

Sheen: Some (Green sheen; occasionally visible in regular writing with a wet nib/resistant paper, but not with finer nibs/absorbent paper)

Water Resistance: Moderate-Low (blue dye washes off, leaving a faint purple. Readable unless you let the water dry/smear, which I tried to show but didn’t do a very good job of)

Other notes: Relatively long dry time (20+ seconds with this configuration). You can see I accidentally smeared a word in the writing sample.

 

The following sample was done with a Namisu Nova (Medium, wet) on Tomoe River (52gsm, cream, loose-leaf) and a water brush for the doodle. Flex writing was done with a Brause Rose dip nib.

 

Bad Scanner Disclaimer: Scan is slightly too saturated/high-contrast. I think my poor quality scanner had more trouble with the cream TR paper than the white one. The doodle is relatively accurate, but the smear came out a touch too purple. Photo included is a better representation of actual color, but I only have a phone camera, so the quality is what it is.

 

Scan:

 

Photo:

 

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

Sailor Shigure, Diamine Bilberry, Diamine Majestic Blue, Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro, Kyo no Oto Aonibi

 

I’ve also included a few photos taken with strong artificial lighting to show off the ink’s somewhat unusual sheen, which I really enjoy.

[eciton]

One of my favourite inks. Completely agree about the lubrication!

 

Fabulous review and illustration — thank you so much for putting the effort in.

[visvamitra]

Stunning.

[Intensity]

What an interesting ink! Unexpected color combination, in a good way.

[DrDebG]

Great review! Love the color!

[Ghost Plane]

One of my favorites. Perfect performance in every pen I own.

[chromantic]

This was exactly the blue-black I'd been hoping to find - more black than blue - and quickly became one of my favorite inks. I use it almost every day, making many of my more brightly colored inks jealous. On the smooth laser copy at work, I can see the green sheen in the wet line as I write but it disappears as the ink dries, like a whispered secret.

[Tas]

Loving the colour split in the wash.

[rbanerjee]

Thank you for writing up this beautiful review.

[farazqamar]

[crahptacular]

Loving the colour split in the wash.

I've never tried painting with inks before doing these reviews, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see neat effects like this! Without my having to do anything, pretty patterns appeared out of nowhere The ink looks closer to blue in writing, but there's apparently a significant amount of purple in it, which I think is also where the green sheen comes from (I've seen a lot of purples sheen green, but not blues).

[ENewton]

Gorgeous. It looks close enough to Shigure that I probably don't need a bottle, but I've saved the drawing to use as a background on my home desktop. I hope that's okay.

[crahptacular]

Gorgeous. It looks close enough to Shigure that I probably don't need a bottle, but I've saved the drawing to use as a background on my home desktop. I hope that's okay.

That is more than just okay, it's very flattering! Feel free to use it.

 

I think in regular writing, Shigure will look quite similar at a glance, as both colors are quite dark. To contrast them, I would say Shigure is definitely a dark purple whereas Kano-Cho Midnight is a dark blue-black with a bit of purple in it. Shigure has a faint silver sheen, and Midnight has a green sheen (I think Midnight's sheen is more prominent, but it might just be because the color stands out more). Midnight has better lubrication and flow, in my experience. And of course, Midnight costs twice as much . I have a bottle of each, because I find any excuse to collect new inks, but I admit there is probably some redundancy between the two if you are not minutely analyzing them.

[ENewton]

That is more than just okay, it's very flattering! Feel free to use it.

 

I think in regular writing, Shigure will look quite similar at a glance, as both colors are quite dark. To contrast them, I would say Shigure is definitely a dark purple whereas Kano-Cho Midnight is a dark blue-black with a bit of purple in it. Shigure has a faint silver sheen, and Midnight has a green sheen (I think Midnight's sheen is more prominent, but it might just be because the color stands out more). Midnight has better lubrication and flow, in my experience. And of course, Midnight costs twice as much . I have a bottle of each, because I find any excuse to collect new inks, but I admit there is probably some redundancy between the two if you are not minutely analyzing them.

 

Thank you.

[VivaTerlingua]

I want to love this ink, but it just doesn't do it for me in practice.

 

I have gone back and re-inked it twice however just because of this amazing review. Just stunning.

[white_lotus]

I had a sample of this ink, and in my pens, nearly all wet mediums and fines, it just looked black, or very closed to it. I was so underwhelmed I never finished my review.

[KKay]

I tried this ink a while back. I heard so much about it I just had to try it. The color didn't do it for me. My sample was so wet it was ridiculous. I tried it in 3 pens, and it was a gusher. I am so glad I didn't buy a bottle. I did try the #3 though, and LOVE that one. Your reviews are spectacular. I'm just stating my thoughts on this ink.

[elpenguino]

I love both the review and the looks of this ink with everything but my wallet.

[Angel91]

I have mixed feelings... I thought it would be my favorite ink, yet in writing with it and it seems like a dark shigure... nothing stunning apart from the good lubrication