Pilot’s Iroshizuku ink line regularly makes an appearance on my list of ink recommendations, particularly as a great workhorse ink that behaves well in all pens and on most paper. Unfortunately, while once admired for its gorgeous glass inkwell-style bottle and expansive color range, it seems as though Iroshizuku has been drowned out by the ever-increasing number of boutique ink brands with dozens of colors in their lineup. Why do I keep coming back to Pilot? For one thing, sometimes too much choice can feel paralyzing, and the Iroshizuku line of inks is just big enough to offer a comprehensive selection of colors without having to worry about whether the inks are “safe” for fountain pens or will offer inconsistent performance. While I’ve found certain Iroshizuku colors to be a touch light, and some to feather more than others on cheap recycled paper, PIlot makes consistently good inks across the board and I’d love to help refocus attention on what should be a staple in most ink collections, especially those focused on everyday use.

A year or so ago, I began picking up bottles of Iroshizuku, hoping to collect most of the line so that I could offer a comprehensive overview - a bit of an overwhelming project that didn’t get off the ground until now. I ultimately decided to break this review up into a series of posts, since I can’t reasonably ink up and use all the Iroshizuku inks at once. Today I start with three well-known favorites.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

Yama-Budo, a dark pink-purple sometimes translated as “crimson glory vine,” has remained a favorite ink, though lately I don’t use it as much as I’d like. (That will change.) For me, it’s easily the most usable color on the “pink” spectrum, and over the years it’s made frequent appearances at the office. Yama-Budo has also been one of the better behaved inks in the entire Iroshizuku lineup, and I’ve not had serious issues using it on inexpensive copy or office paper. This ink has a touch of shading and reddish/gold sheen on certain papers.

Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku

I haven’t used Shin-Ryoku (“forest green”) much at all, even though it’s one of the more standard “work friendly” colors in the Iroshizuku line. A mid-toned green, Shin-Ryoku starts out with a bit of a blue tone when wet (think Waterman or Pelikan greens) but darkens as it dries. Though perhaps not the most exciting color, sometimes that’s exactly what you need whenever you just want to get some work done. This ink can also have a bit of shading and show some reddish sheen on certain papers.

Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

I remained a bit contrarian on Kon-Peki (“deep cerulean blue”) for years, before ultimately accepting that it’s a great blue ink with a lot of pop. Though Asa-gao (full review forthcoming) is probably my favorite Iroshizuku blue, Kon-Peki is unique in its vibrancy and presents a safer alternative to some of the “cult favorite” bright blue inks from boutique brands, which can cause clogging and smearing due to their oversaturation with dye.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I think I’m going to enjoy working my way back through the Iroshizuku lineup. The inks are great and it’s always a pleasure to have a beautiful glass bottle on your desk. I’ll add that the Iroshizuku bottle is as practical as it is pretty, with a wide opening that allows you to fill larger pens, and a depression at the bottom that makes it easier to fill as the ink level in the bottle gets lower.

As of 2023, The T.G.S. Curated Ship is able to offer you Pilot pens and inks directly, including the entire Iroshizuku lineup. We currently carry the 50ml bottles of ink, priced at $24.

I’ve written about several Iroshizuku inks in the past - including two of the inks featured above - but it’s been years and I intend to revisit them all as I work my way back through the line as part of this current project. If you’d like, check out my previous reviews of Tsuki-Yo, Yama-Budo, Kon-Peki, Asa-Gao, and Yu-Yake.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We no longer participate in third-party affiliate programs.

Continuing my "red" kick, this week I've been using a lot of Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, an ink I like but have not used much in recent months. That's due more to my glut of ink and tendency to rotate colors regularly than to any problems with this particular ink, of which there are none. It's an unusual color (Pilot translates Yama-Budo as "Crimson Glory Vine"), and I personally have not seen an equivalent anywhere else. From looking at swatches, I'd consider Rohrer & Klingner Solferino (link here for a swatch) or possibly their Magenta (link here) to be similar. However, I've used neither of these two inks and have no idea how they would compare to Yama-Budo in terms of properties. I can't imagine that you would get much better than Pilot's premium ink.

Handwritten review of Iroshizuku Yama Budo on Exacompta Index Card stock.

As you can see from the writing sample, Yama-Budo is a pinkish-purple, which is just purple enough to use in a professional capacity, and contains enough pink to make the ink interesting without looking garish. I like this ink in a wider nib--you can get some nice shading! Otherwise, it's like any other Iroshizuku ink: the dry time is relatively quick, and it works fine on less expensive paper.

Here's a photographed writing sample, as opposed to a scan.  This is not a bright, "hot pink" ink.  The photograph probably captures the ink's depth of color slightly better than the scan does.  As I noted in my review of Pelikan's Ed… — Here's a photographed writing sample, as opposed to a scan. This is not a bright, "hot pink" ink. The photograph probably captures the ink's depth of color slightly better than the scan does. As I noted in my review of Pelikan's Edelstein Turmaline, my opinion is that the Turmaline leans to much in the "pink" direction to use at work and be taken seriously. My earlier review contains a side-by-side comparison of the two inks (Yama-Budo and Turmaline). If you look at samples of them separately, you might think they look similar.

Iroshizuku often gets knocked for its steep price tag, which is around $30 at most retailers. However, you can often find a discount code or take advantage of free shipping deals to lower the cost. I'm also a fan of trading unused bottles of ink on forum sites such as FPGeeks or the Fountain Pen Network. Personally, I've never had a hard time justifying paying a premium for these inks. They work well in nearly all pens, you get a standard 50ml (which lasts a typical person a really long time), and the ink bottle itself is hefty and looks great on a desk.

The Iroshizuku line of ink uses one of my favorite bottles.  The bottle itself contains a depression in the bottom to make it easier to fill a pen when the ink level gets low. — The Iroshizuku line of ink uses one of my favorite bottles. The bottle itself contains a depression in the bottom to make it easier to fill a pen when the ink level gets low.

As of 2023, The T.G.S. Curated Ship is able to offer you Pilot pens and inks directly, including the entire Iroshizuku lineup. We currently carry the 50ml bottles of ink, priced at $24. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We no longer participate in third-party affiliate programs.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku

Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Further Reading

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