Today I’ll delve further into Pilot’s Iroshizuku line, looking at three more inks from Pilot’s luxury ink brand. One of these, Asa-Gao (“Morning Glory”), has served as a core blue ink for me over the years, while the other two are inks with which I have relatively little experience: Muraskai-Shikibu (“Japanese Beautyberry”) and Ajisai (“Hydrangea”). All three are in the blue-purple family, with Asa-Gao being the most blue, Murasaki-Shikibu the most purple, and Ajisai a hybrid of the two.
Three writing samples compared, top to bottom: Asa-Gao, Murasaki-Shikibu, and Ajisai. All writing samples are done on Midori MD Cotton paper, which is now back in stock in The Curated Shop! Pens used for writing samples include a TWSBI Diamond 580 (Asa-Gao), a PenBBS 456 Vacuum Filler (Murasaki-Shikibu), and a TWSBI Vac 700R Iris (Ajisai).
Asa-Gao (“Morning Glory”)
I’m not particularly subjective here: Iroshizuku Asa-Gao is one of my favorite inks of all time. A rich royal blue that sometimes shows just the slightest hint of purple, it’s the ultimate workhorse ink because it’s not only gorgeous, but a well-behaved, non-distracting color that will look just as good in your journal as it does in the office. I’ve also found Asa-Gao less likely to take on that faded, washed-out look that some basic blue inks adopt as they dry. Though I haven’t made my way though the entire lineup yet, I can’t imagine liking any two Iroshizuku inks better than Asa-Gao and Yama-Budo.
Iroshizuku Asa-Gao: A “safe” blue ink that really pops.
Murasaki-Shikibu (“Japanese Beautyberry”)
The next two inks, Murasaki Shikibu and Ajisai, fall into the category of inks that I’m probably less likely to use on a regular basis, but are still excellent choices if you like the colors and appreciate shading. Murasaki-Shikibu, the “core purple” of the Iroshizuku lineup, offers a less-saturated purple option for those who love purple inks but perhaps don’t love using them in clear demonstrators, where they can be difficult to clean and even have a tendency to stain. (I’m looking at you, Waterman Violet - sorry, “Tender Purple.”)
Ajisai (“Hydrangea”)
Ajisai was a pleasant surprise! Like Murasaki-Shikibu, Ajisai is a softer color that shades nicely. Online reviews and ink swatches unfortunately tend to show Ajisai as much more washed out than the ink actually is. On more absorbent paper, the color is quite legible, to the point where I can see myself using this one regularly. I also have several massive hydrangea bushes in my yard, and can confirm that Pilot absolutely nailed the color match with a blue-purple hydrangea bloom. (Fun fact: Hydrangea blooms are either pink or blue, depending on the pH of your soil, so you can change the look of your garden with additives!)
In certain light, you can almost detect a touch of double-shading (i.e., when the ink shades in more than one color) in Ajisai. The lighter area of this swab shows the slightest hint of purple.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
The deeper I go into the ink line, the more I love Pilot Iroshizuku. Prior to this year, I had never given much thought to Murasaki-Shikibu or Ajisai, and both ended up as inks that I could easily introduce into the regular rotation. One goal of this longer-term project is to evaluate Iroshizuku as a solution for those looking for perhaps not “one ink,” but a single ink brand from which they can select any color and expect consistent performance across the line. So far, so good!
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.
Further Reading
Check out Part I of this series here, in which I look at Yama-Budo (Crimson Glory Vine), Shin-Ryoku (Forest Green), and Kon-Peki (Deep Cerulean Blue). I have most of the other inks in this series and will be working my way through them as I write my pens dry and need to refill.
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