Sailor Manyo Ukikusa

[yazeh]

 

Sailor Manyo Ukikusa 

 

Ink Review # 223

 

---

 

🧾 Description

 

Many thanks @Lithium466 for the sample. 

 

A bright green by Sailor. Ink has below average lubrication. Has some shading. No water resistance and not suitable for copy paper. 

 

As I’m not a fan of bright greens, I wouldn’t say anymore. 

 

---

 

🧪 Chroma

 

 

---

 

✍️ Writing Samples (scan)

Quotes:

Note: Translations/paraphrases into English are AI-assisted.  

 

Hagiwara Sakutarō (1886–1942) — Japanese poet
My heart drifts like floating grass, carried by unseen currents.

Kamo no Chōmei (1155–1216) — Japanese writer, poet
Human dwellings are fleeting, like bubbles drifting upon the water.

Kawabata Yasunari (1899–1972) — Japanese novelist
The sadness of things lies in their passing, not in their end.

Yosa Buson (1716–1784) — Japanese poet, painter
A floating world—yet I stay, watching the rain.

Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902) — Japanese poet, literary critic
After the rain, the green grows greener—nothing stays.

 

Rhodia / Iroful

 Scan captures more yellow than I care for. 

 

 

Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm

Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

 

 

 

Hammermill 20lb  

 

 

 

 📸 Photo (LED light)

Rhodia/ Iroful

 

 

 

Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm

 

 

 

Hammermill 20 lb copy paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

Col-O-ring. Scans are approximative. 

 

 

 

---

 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

---

 🎨 Artwork

Were We Ever There?

Cat & mouse tackle impermanence. 

 

Fabriano Watercolour paper.

 

 

INKTOBER52 PROMPT NO.3: Glide

Uniball Signo White, Tintenlabor Tannenwald, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.

 

 

---

- Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1),  Noodler's Nib creaper fitted with a Waterman W2 nib

- What I Liked: Bright colour. Drawing floating weeds. 

- What I Did Not Like: Too bright for my taste. 

- Writing Experience: Ok. 

- Pros: Lovely bright colour. 

- Cons: Lack of nuance. 

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: Ok. 

- Ghosting: Yes on copy paper.

- Bleed Through: Yes on copy paper. 

- Flow Rate: Average. 

- Lubrication: Not much. Needs a wet pen. 

- Nib Dry-out: No. 

- Start-up: No problem. 

- Saturation: Nope. 

- Sheen: No. 

- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: A bit on copy paper.  

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen): No. 

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: Easy. 

- Water Resistance: No way. 

 

---

 

 🛒 Availability

 

- Available in 50 ml bottles.

 

---

 

 💬 Closing

If you like bright green inks, this could be one for you. It needs a wet pen and ideally a M or above nib. 

 

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review.

 

Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.  

 

 

 

[LizEF]

Holy neon chroma, Batman!

 

I like bright yellow-leaning greens, like Robert Oster Green Lime or Caran d'Ache Delicate Green.  But I don't like them when they lean too far blue / minty.

 

Thought-provoking quotes.

 

I adore the extreme shading in this one.   I'm unsure about the color itself. Might be too yellow. Might be too bright.

 

Whoa! Holy toxic water-test results.  Yeah, that doesn't really look like a great set of colors for a wash...

 

But I love hidden kitty and mousey (especially how kitty's hair blends in with the grass (rice shoots? leaves? whatever it's called)) and "Glide"! Wonderful compositions, both.

 

Thanks for another thorough review and such wonderful drawings, @yazeh!

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Holy neon chroma, Batman!

😇 

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I like bright yellow-leaning greens, like Robert Oster Green Lime or Caran d'Ache Delicate Green.  But I don't like them when they lean too far blue / minty.

 

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Thought-provoking quotes.

Thanks! I ask AI to find, translate ink appropriate quotes.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

I adore the extreme shading in this one.   I'm unsure about the color itself. Might be too yellow. Might be too bright.

When I am not aligned with a colour, I don't care about it's other attributes.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Whoa! Holy toxic water-test results.  Yeah, that doesn't really look like a great set of colors for a wash...

I tried to recreate that on wateroclour paper. No dice.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

But I love hidden kitty and mousey (especially how kitty's hair blends in with the grass (rice shoots? leaves? whatever it's called)) and "Glide"! Wonderful compositions, both.

Thanks. I searched for photos of floating weeds, (ukikusa) and then composed the sketch. I did another one that didn't work well. It was too in your face. I then put the watercolour paper, to wash the holy batman feel, still I'm not sure.  I doubt if I can recoup it.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

Thanks for another thorough review and such wonderful drawings, @yazeh!

Most welcome and thanks for your kind words. 🙏

[Sailor Kenshin]

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly:

 

Good:  Cool color, cooler chroma, wonderful artwork.

 

The Bad:  Insufficient lubrication.

 

The Ugly:  Hardly anything other than its behavior on paper. 😸

 

@yazeh, I enjoy these reviews, even if I reject the ink itself!  💖

[yazeh]

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly:

 

Good:  Cool color, cooler chroma, wonderful artwork.

🙏

 

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The Bad:  Insufficient lubrication.

 I'm sure a nice wet pen with a wide soft nib will remedy the situation.

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The Ugly:  Hardly anything other than its behavior on paper. 😸

It works well on good paper. For drawing though, its harsh. 

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

@yazeh, I enjoy these reviews, even if I reject the ink itself!  💖

Thanks @Sailor Kenshin. 🙏 There are colors which I connect to and there are those I don't. This was one of them. @namrehsnoom did a more nuanced review of this one maybe. I just finished  reviewing Sailor Sasabune. Much better ink and more aligned with me.

 

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh -- Interesting color and seems to have nice shading.  But I'm a bit concerned about the lack of water resistance.  So this one is a "maybe -- but maybe not" for me (I probably have fewer green inks than almost any other color, because I'm very fussy about green in general).

Thanks, though, for the comprehensive review and (of course) the fun artwork!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

13 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh -- Interesting color and seems to have nice shading.  But I'm a bit concerned about the lack of water resistance.  

It's a very bright green. I prefer Sasabune it has more water resistance and is deeper. 

13 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

So this one is a "maybe -- but maybe not" for me (I probably have fewer green inks than almost any other color, because I'm very fussy about green in general).

Same here.  

13 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks, though, for the comprehensive review and (of course) the fun artwork!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Most welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment.  

 

[USG]

As usual, I applaud your effort.

Hitting the LIKE button,,,😀 👍

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, USG said:

As usual, I applaud your effort.

Thank you so much it means a lot. 🙏

2 hours ago, USG said:

Hitting the LIKE button,,,😀 👍

🙏😊😺

[Lithium466]

Thank you for your review

 

Having only used EF nibs, I had classified that ink as "murky green" in my book, funny how it seems everybody else considers it a bright green. Same thing for Sasabune actually! Well at least Ukikusa is easy to clean.

Loved cat & mouse impermanence!

[AmandaW]

Great review, but... I'm definitely a fan of Tokiwa-matsu and R&K Emma.

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you for your review

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Having only used EF nibs, I had classified that ink as "murky green" in my book, funny how it seems everybody else considers it a bright green.

That's how nibs transform color. 

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Same thing for Sasabune actually! Well at least Ukikusa is easy to clean.

I prefer Sasabune. It's an outstanding ink compared to this one.

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Loved cat & mouse impermanence!

Thanks.🙏🙏🙏

[yazeh]

5 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

Great review,

🙏

5 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

but... I'm definitely a fan of Tokiwa-matsu and R&K Emma.

I prefer darker, murkier greens, too.

[yazeh]

Here is another drawing I did with Ukikusa: 

Bird Watching!

Jacques Herbin Gris Galet, Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat, Sailor Manyo Ukikusa, Uniball Signo White Gel, Talens Mixed Media Notebook.

Note: I'll be posting a review of Gris Galet in a few weeks. I managed to go that dark with it by using a pen fitted with a extra wet ebonite feed and flex nib.

[LizEF]

Love it! Little mousey with his binoculars perfects the image.

[yazeh]

3 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Love it! Little mousey with his binoculars perfects the image.

🙏

[inkstainedruth]

Love this!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

48 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Love this!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Thanks!

[Lithium466]

15 hours ago, yazeh said:

Here is another drawing I did with Ukikusa: 

Bird Watching!

Jacques Herbin Gris Galet, Pelikan Edelstein Apricot Achat, Sailor Manyo Ukikusa, Uniball Signo White Gel, Talens Mixed Media Notebook.

Note: I'll be posting a review of Gris Galet in a few weeks. I managed to go that dark with it by using a pen fitted with a extra wet ebonite feed and flex nib.

🤩

[USG]

On 1/23/2026 at 5:22 AM, Lithium466 said:

Thank you for your review

 

Having only used EF nibs, I had classified that ink as "murky green" in my book, funny how it seems everybody else considers it a bright green. Same thing for Sasabune actually! Well at least Ukikusa is easy to clean.

Loved cat & mouse impermanence!

 

Something I've noticed for a long time in the ink industry. 

Poor bottle to bottle and/or batch to batch color consistency.