TACCIA Ukiyo-e Hiroshige ainezu

[namrehsnoom]

ink review : TACCIA Ukiyo-e - Hiroshige - ainezu

 

TACCIA is a Japanese stationery company, that - as far as I know - is now part of the Nakabayashi group. They offer high-quality fountain pens, inks, pen-rolls, notebooks, etc. More specifically, TACCIA produce a line of inks, inspired by the unique look of Ukiyo-e paintings from Japan’s Edo period (17th century). Ukiyo-e prints are woodblock prints where the work of an artist is carved into wood by woodworkers, and pressed onto paper by printers. This allows the production of multiple prints of an artwork with some different colours as well.

 

In this review, I take a closer look at ainezu, a dark and stormy grey that is inspired by the painting “Sudden Shower at Shin-Ohashi Bridge” of the artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It was published in 1857 as part of the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and is one his best known prints. Sudden showers are a recurring theme in ukiyo-e works and here, in what Hiroshige calls "white rain", the downpour is depicted using a large number of thin dark parallel lines in 2 directions - a difficult skill in woodblock carving. The dark clouds are produced using a gradated bokashi technique and vary significantly between prints. The rain, sheltering people and log raft at the centre of the image give the image a sense of movement.

 

Ainezu is a dark grey with strong teal undertones, that are mostly visible in swabs or when using the ink for drawing. It’s a beautiful complex grey that lays down a wet & dark line that quickly dries to a lighter but still contrast-rich tint. A very strong shader, this one, even in fine nibs. And on top of that, it shows a fair amount of water resistance. All factors combined, this makes it an excellent choice for use at work: the dark grey colour will fit right in, and the strong shading and dark teal undertones will certainly draw the attention of your co-workers. I like this ink a lot: a  great grey for writing, and one that really opens up when using it for drawing. The ink comes in a 40 ml bottle, that is packaged in a beautiful box showing the corresponding Ukiyo-e painting. Lovely packaging for an excellent ink.

 

To show you the impact of saturation on the ink’s look & feel on paper, I made some scribbles where I really saturated portions of a strip of 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with ink. This gives you a good idea of what the ink is capable of in terms of colour range. Ainezu has a fairly wide dynamic range, ranging from a pale indigo-tinged grey to a much more saturated dark teal-grey. The contrast between the light and dark parts is not harsh though, which translates to beautiful shading – very present but not too loud. The shading appears in all nib sizes - just a hint with the EF nib, but really present with F-nibs and above. The aesthetics are superb, adding lots of character to your writing. 

 

The ink’s chromatography clearly shows the lovely complexity of this grey: grey, indigo, some sky-blue, and – to my eye – a shimmer of green. The bottom part of the chroma also indicates that this is a fairly water-resistant ink, which is confirmed during water tests. TACCIA’s ink makers Hiroshi Ishiguro and Hanse Matsumoto know their craft, and created with this ainezu a wonderfully complex grey that just looks amazing.

 

I’ve tested the ink on a wide variety of paper – from crappy Moleskine to high-end Tomoe River. On every small band of paper I show you:

• An ink swab, made with a cotton Q-tip
• 1-2-3 pass swab, to show increasing saturation
• An ink scribble made with an M-nib Lamy Safari
• The name of the paper used, written with a B-nib Lamy Safari
• A small text sample, written with the M-nib Safari
• Source of the quote, written with a Pelikan M101N with M-nib
• Drying times of the ink on the paper (with the M-nib Safari)

Ainezu looks good on all types of paper – both white and more creamy ones. It lays down a wet and dark line that quickly dries to a lighter tint (5-10 second range). No feathering that I can see. And it can even handle crappy paper (like Moleskine) with ease – good-looking writing, and only limited show-through and bleed-through. A good ink for the workplace!

 

I’ve also added a few photos to give you another view on the ink. Scanned images and photos often capture different aspects of the ink’s colour & contrast. That’s why I present them both. In this case, the photos capture the ink best. The scans seem to exaggerate the teal undertones in the swabs.

 

 

Writing with different nib sizes
The picture below shows the effect of nib sizes on the writing. The EF-nib already shows a hint of shading. But it is with the F-nib and above that the ink’s elegant shading really comes into play. Look e.g. at the shading with the Safari M and B nib – that’s why I use a fountain pen!  I personally prefer to use this ink with the drier pens where the shading is more prominent. With wetter pens (like the Pelikan M101N Lizard), the ink gets a bit too saturated and starts to drown out the shading.

 

Related inks
To compare ainezu with related inks, I use my nine-grid format with the currently reviewed ink at the center. This format shows the name of related inks, a saturation sample, a 1-2-3 swab and a water resistance test – all in a very compact format. I have lots of greys in my collection, but this TACCIA colour still looks different from all the other ones. Diamine Earl Grey has that same complexity, but is a much cooler shade (cool as in cold, but it's really cool too ;-).

 

Inkxperiment – Ungawa, Timba
With every review, I try to create an inkxperiment using only the ink I am reviewing. These one-ink drawings are great for showing the colour-range nuances that can be achieved with a single ink. And it’s great fun to experiment with inks in a more artsy context – I love doing these inkxperiments. They are one of the many things I enjoy about the hobby. 

 

During the holiday season, I re-viewed some of the really old Johnny Weismüller movies – grainy black&white cinema, but fun stories and totally uncomplicated. I really enjoyed one of the scenes where Tarzan and his elephants come to the rescue. That’s where the inspiration for this elephant drawing comes from. The picture itself is an adaptation of one I saw on Pinterest.

 

HP photo paper usually brings out the best in inks, so I decided to use it for this drawing. In this case, it really enhances the dark teal undertones in the ink.  I started by wetting the photo paper, and drawing some circles on it with pure ainezu, using a glass jar as a stamp. Next I used several passes with a paintbrush and pure ink to darken up the center of the page. After the background had dried completely, I used a glass dip pen and bleach to draw in Tarzan on his elephant. Bleach reacts nicely with ainezu, producing a golden-white colour. The picture gives you an idea of what can be achieved when using ainezu for drawing.

 

Conclusion
TACCIA Ukiyo-e Hiroshige ainezu is a near perfect writing ink – good technical properties on all paper types, fairly water-resistent, good contrast with the page and some very nice shading. Colourwise it is an intriguing dark & stormy grey with definite teal undertones. A beautiful ink that totally fits my tastes. Highly recommended!

 

Technical test results on Rhodia N° 16 notepad paper, written with Lamy Safari, M-nib

 

Back-side of writing samples on different paper types

 

 

[Carrau]

Thank you, once again, for a marvelous review.  What a remarkable range of shades on display with different papers, then yet another in your drawing! Your enthusiasm for this ink is quite evident.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, namrehsnoom said:

a dark and stormy grey

Ooo.  My kinda color!

 

1 hour ago, namrehsnoom said:

really old Johnny Weismüller movies

Wow, talk about old memories - this name instantly brought to mind an image of my grandmother's kitchen - no idea why - the TV wasn't in there, but it did.

 

Thank you for a wonderful review, a beautiful elephant, and a happy memory!   This ink has already gone onto my "samples to buy" list - along with Callifolio Byzance.

[lapis]

Awesome as always. Thanks! Especially the chromatography tells me something new. It (the ink) reminds me of my favourite Old Man Winter, but it (your ink here) is more concentrated (optically), darker, more expressive.

[yazeh]

Such a beautiful review @namrehsnoom. I especially loved  jumping from Ukiyo-e paintings to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan inspired inkexperiment. Beautiful. 🙏

 

@LizEFTarzan took me back to my great aunt's house, where I would sneak away and watch Tarzan during the dreaded nap time

 

[LizEF]

5 minutes ago, yazeh said:

@LizEFTarzan took me back to my great aunt's house, where I would sneak away and watch Tarzan during the dreaded nap time

I would go from kindergarten, go straight to my grandmother's basement (we lived across the driveway from mom's parents) to where the color TV was, and watch Gilligan's Island, then go home.  I don't remember when I watched Tarzan, but I know I did...

[mizgeorge]

Wonderful in every way - thank you so much @namrehsnoom for a bit of brightness on a very gloomy Sunday afternoon

 

This is an ink that's right at the top of my current wishlist, and you've just confirmed so many reasons why. 

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I would go from kindergarten, go straight to my grandmother's basement (we lived across the driveway from mom's parents) to where the color TV was, and watch Gilligan's Island, then go home.  I don't remember when I watched Tarzan, but I know I did...

Those were the good old times

 

 

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

Those were the good old times

Exactly.  Back when no one locked the doors, and earwigs were my biggest worry.  (Seriously, I believed earwigs would crawl into your ears at night - no way was I sleeping anywhere that I'd ever seen an earwig. )

[GreenMountain]

Beautiful review and wonderful color.  Thanks!  This is definitely on my wish list and I agree, Taccia inks are excellent all around.

 

Anyone care to trade me a vial of Taccia Sabimidori?

 

(Ink review by By white_lotus)

 

 

 

[Tas]

😍 😍What a review, what an ink.😍 😍 

(I was lucky enough to see an original Hiroshige the other week at the V&A's Kimono Exhibition - stood in front of it for an age and soaked up its colours, its lines, its smells, its sounds. Incredible.)
 

[AmandaW]

Beautiful! The ink and the review. Thankyou. It's now on my wish list too.

[yazeh]

@Tas I can understand why you stood in reverence. Those colours are awe inspiring 🙏

[MissCellany]

A complex grey that's water resistant and behaves well on crummy paper? Oh heavens me, I may have to look into this...

 

Thank you so much for the delightful review!

[Karmachanic]

Thank you.  I'm being inexorably drawn to subtler hues such as this.

On the list it goes.

[PithyProlix]

Wonderful ink - this one goes on my list. Thanks for another incredible review. 

 

A couple of years ago or so I read about Taccia, which is a California company with production in Japan, if I recall correctly, but I don't remember the details. I wonder who makes the ink.