I had someone come into the shop the other day and ask: “All these inks are overwhelming. If you could pick five to show me, what would they be?” That’s a hard question to answer, especially for someone who’s been into fountain pens and inks for well over a decade and have had so many inks rotate through my pens that they all start to blur together! It’s easier for me to point people to one or two preferred brands, based on their experience level and specific needs, and recommend a handful of inks within those lines. Pilot’s Iroshizuku line is one of my go-to overall recommendations for experienced and novice users alike.
I’ve been using Iroshizuku inks for over a decade now, and even after all this time it remains one of my favorite workhorse fountain pen inks, with reliable performance and an interesting range of colors. Generally regarded as a safe, low-maintenance ink that works well in nearly all fountain pens, you could live comfortably in the Iroshizuku line without exploring much else, especially since Pilot has also issued a large number of the inks in cartridge form. See below for the five colors that have carved out a permanent role in my personal collection, which I was somewhat surprised to discover has a pretty good variation across the range, and actually includes some brighter tones as opposed to my preferred muted shades. Wherever possible, I’ve linked to past reviews of each individual ink, which may contain additional photos.
Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo. The first Iroshizuku Ink I ever purchased remains a go-to workhorse that I usually have loaded into at least one pen. At first glance, it appears like a simple blue-black with hints of teal, but on certain papers you can get a bit of red sheen, and the ink has some depth that I still find myself admiring 10 years later.
Iroshizuku Yama-Budo. Another classic that was my “signature” ink for a couple of years before I went through a dark red phase. Yama-Budo defies characterization. Many people call it a purple, some call it a magenta/dark pink. I’m a fan of of these off-red shades, so however you describe it, it’s really nice to use to mark-up or annotate documents when you don’t necessarily want an eye-searing red.
Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku. One of the newer Iroshizuku inks, from the second-most-recent batch of releases, Sui-Gyoku rapidly became my favorite teal. Leaning more bright green than blue, it’s easier on the eyes than a pure turquoise and still dark enough for me to use professionally.
Iroshizuku Kon-Peki. The first cult favorite from the Iroshizuku lineup, Kon-Peki topped many “best of” ink lists for years. A bright cerulean blue, it became popular because it offered a safer alternative to certain vivid, heavily pigmented blue inks that caused clogging issues for fountain pen users.
Iroshizuku Syun-Gyo. I was shocked to see Pilot add a red-black to the Iroshizuku line in their most recent refresh. Like Yama-Budo, Syun-Gyo defies characterization, with some people seeking more brown than black, and more purple than red. Either way, I love these muddy, muted shades because I find that they add character to my handwriting.
All Pilot inks show a lot of depth, but Tsuki-yo (second from top) remains a favorite, because it has so much depth.
If you’re interested in exploring the Iroshizuku line for yourself, we carry the full lineup of inks in our shop, in both bottle and cartridge formats, and we also stock a curated selection of Pilot fountain pens. Our brick and mortar store is open this weekend from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday.