Reviews Revisited (2023): Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo (Moonlight) and Yama-Budo (Crimson Glory Vine)

I’ve been feeling a touch overwhelmed lately, whether it’s the pressure of juggling my work schedule and family responsibilities, or just the sheer volume of stuff I have sitting around my office waiting to be listed and shipped or taken over to the warehouse. Sometimes when this happens, it’s comforting to go back to the basics and ignore the latest-and-greatest, a quick flashback a time when my collection/accumulation included just a handful of pens and five or so bottles of ink. (Hard to believe this was only ten years ago, right?!?) For my first couple of years in this hobby, the two “nicest” inks I owned were Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo and Yama-Budo, both of which are still mainstays of my collection.

While I wouldn’t necessarily think of blue-black as having a direct correlation to “Moonlight”, for some reason the name works. The night sky just after dusk, perhaps?

Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo

Why do these particular inks have such staying power? Part of it is nostalgia, for sure, but honestly they’re just good. Tsuki-Yo, to me, is a more interesting version of classic Waterman Blue-Black. The name of the ink translates as “Moonlight,” and while it can certainly pass as a standard blue-black ink - making it an excellent choice for the office - there’s just something about this color that causes it to stand out. Maybe it’s the slight red sheen, the hints of teal, or the vintage-style shading? The ink has never given me any problems in any pen or on any paper, and I’ve come close to using up an entire 50ml bottle. (Well, I’ve used about 2/3 of the bottle, and I expect I’ll finish it this year.)

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I angled the swatch to get a shot of the slight red sheen.

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While Iroshizuku Inks aren’t known as “super-sheeners,” you get the interesting visual effect without any smearing that’s so prevalent with other sheening inks.

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

While Yama-Budo isn’t my favorite overall color (it’s an offbeat burgundy-purple-magenta hue with some gold sheen on certain papers), I have a soft spot for it because it was my first “adventurous” ink color. For such a bright ink, it’s also incredibly well-behaved, and while you always have to be cautious in using reds and purples in stain-prone pens such as clear demonstrators, this particular ink cleans out easier than most. Yama-Budo doesn’t get used nearly as much as Tsuki-Yo, but when I do ink it up, well, I kick myself for leaving it out of the regular rotation.

Gold? Green-Gold? Whatever it is, it only appears on certain types of paper. I see it most on Tomoe River and the Col-o-ring paper here.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Fountain pen ink colors and ink brands can be driven by trends, and fall in and out of favor, but the colors in the Iroshizuku range stand up over time and regularly make their way through my own rotation. Pilot has done an excellent job of selecting a range of interesting, unique colors that can still serve as everyday writers, and they add to the lineup every year or so.

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Tsuki-Yo takes on a different look in different nib styles. The top sample is a wet medium stub; the bottom is a medium architect from Mark Bacas. The Yama Budo writing sample is with the Lamy cursive calligraphy nib.

I’ve written a fair bit about Iroshizuku Inks over the years. If you’re curious about reading more, check out my prior reviews of Tsuki-Yo and Yama-Budo, as well as my series on exploring the Iroshizuku line: Part I (Kon-Peki, Shin-Ryoku, and Yama-Budo), and Part II (Asa-Gao, Murasaki Shikibu, and Aji-Sai). I’ve not yet made it through the entire line of Iroshizuku as intended, but now that I have access to all of the inks, well, let’s go!

As I recently announced, we are now 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. Over the past couple of years I’ve been performing some updates on the site, which includes pruning and updating older content that’s out of date, so you will likely see more “Reviews Revisited” posts in the coming months. It’s been a fun experience to see how my thoughts have changed over the years, and often how my thoughts and opinions haven’t changed much at all!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Pilot, and is currently supported solely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks for your support and patronage!

Workhorse Inks: Exploring Iroshizuku, Part II (Asa-Gao, Murasaki-Shikibu, and Aji-Sai)

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!)

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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.

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.

Workhorse Inks: Exploring Iroshizuku in Full (As in, the Entire Line)

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Further Reading

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.