Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Box Artwork — As always, the Taccia box artwork is superb.

New Arrivals: New Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Inks (and more Kuniyoshi!)

April 21, 2026

Taccia is on a roll, having recently doubled the size of their much-loved Ukiyo-e series of fountain pen inks from 16 to 32 colors. Earlier this month, we received an initial shipment of the Kuniyoshi series, which sold quickly but has since been restocked. Just this past week (with our restock) we also received eight (8) new Hokusai inks. I’ve swatched all of the new colors and from this most recent release, Nakahanada and Rikan-Cha are probably my two favorites!

Taccia Hokusai Nakahanada Fountain Pen Ink — Hokusai Nakahanada is best described as a dark teal black, with some sheen. Note that these new releases also have artwork on the bottles.

Most of the Taccia Ukiyo-e inks are currently available, including all of the Kuniyoshi and the 8 most recent Hokusai inks. They can be purchased both in our online shop and in the Nashville store, and as always you can compare color swatches using our shop swatch books.

We will be open normal hours this week in our Nashville shop, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm Saturday. Stop by to see these and more in-person!

Swatches of the eight new Hokusai Inks from Taccia

Thursday Drops: New Taccia Ukiyo-e Kuniyoshi Inks, Plus Midori and MD Products Restocks

April 2, 2026

They’re finally here! The latest releases in the Taccia Ukiyo-e line include eight new ink colors, many of which are darker shades infused with black. The Utagawa Kuniyoshi series features gorgeous box and bottle artwork, in addition to Taccia’s beautifully flowing ink. As noted on Tuesday, we also received a shipment of the rebranded Midori MD line notebooks (now “MD Product”), which includes new dot grid A6, B6 slim, and A7 notebooks. Finally, all Roterfaden from the SF Stationery Fest is back in inventory, and don’t forget that you can listen to the live recording of the event we co-hosted there in Episode 6 of On the Paper Trail!

Taccia Kuniyoshi Kuromidori Fountain Pen Ink — Taccia’s Kuromidori Kuniyoshi is going to be a favorite - all those multishading and color-shifting greens with sheen tend to do well. (Unfortunately Sabimidori is still backordered).

The Nashville shop will be open normal hours this week, from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. Please come by and see all of these and more in person!

Taccia Ukiyo-e Kuniyoshi Inks. The third series of Taccia Ukiyo-e inks are now available, with some gorgeous dark black-infused colors added to the line. A few are sheeners for lovers of sheen and multi-shading, and as always, the Taccia artwork is beautifully incorporated into the packaging. We’ve also received a restock of the first two series of Ukiyo-e inks, with favorites such as Ainezu, Ruri, and Nakamurasaki returning.
Taccia Standard Line Restock. We’ve restocked on many of the standard Taccia ink colors as well, including Tsuchi (“Wheat”), Midori (Dark Green), and Uguisu (Lighter Green).
MD Product Dot Grid Notebooks. MD Product has rebranded and released more sizes of notebooks in dot grid layout as well as the standard lined, blank, and graph. Now you can enjoy B6 Slim, A6, and A7 in dot ruling as well as the A5!
MD Product A5 Codex Restock. The day-to-a-page MD Notebooks (the Codex series) are back, with both dot grid and plain papers. Intended for use as an undated daily planner or journal, the Codex can also serve as a thick notebook with excellent MD Paper.
TRAVELER’S Company Notebooks and Refills. The Standard notebooks sold out again quickly, but we have Passport-size TRAVELER’S Notebooks, as well as the full range of refills and accessories in all size.
Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A4. All Roterfaden products that made it back from San Francisco and Arkansas are now listed on the site, including the large A4 Roterfadens that can hold most A4 notebooks and A4 pads.
Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter B5. The B5 Taschenbegleiter features a red leather that ages beautifully, and is large enough to hold both B5 notebooks and standard composition books. The clips slide up and down slightly to accommodate minor variations in sizing.
TRAVELER’S Company Brass Ballpoint and Rollerball Pens. The two most popular pens in the TRAVELER’S “Brass” series have been the ballpoint and the Rollerball (which takes fountain pen ink cartridges). We have both back in stock at the moment.
Yamamoto Ro-Biki Canvas Covers. Ro-Biki notebook covers are Yamamoto’s unique take on an A5 slim system, crafted from soft cotton canvas with an integrated zipper pouch. Ro-biki refills are a popular option to use with our TGS_25 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.
Yamamoto Ro-Biki Refills. We’re fully stocked on Ro-Biki refills, which feature lined, grid, and reticle rulings on Yamamoto’s Soliste Paper, as well as several unique cover designs. The new waxed paper “Texture” series has also arrived, in both grey and orange covers.

Taccia Kuniyoshi Uguisocha Fountain Pen Ink — Yes, another dark green, this one a darker take on Uguisu.

Ink Review: Taccia Utamaro Aomurasaki Is The Deepest of Purple-Blacks

May 14, 2025

It’s no secret that I enjoy darker, black-infused inks, ranging from my signature red-blacks to more conservative green-black and blue-black shades. If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous than standard business-friendly blue-black, but which still won’t look out of place in everyday school or office use, why not consider a purple-black? The ink I’m reviewing today, Taccia Utamaro Aomurasaki from Taccia’s Ukiyo-e line, has been on the market for a while but is a relatively recent new discovery for me personally.

What Are the Taccia Ukiyo-e Inks?

Taccia is a brand that was created in the U.S. and sources its inks from Japan. It’s been all but confirmed that Taccia inks are made by Teranishi, which alongside Taccia is a member of the Nakabayashi group of companies. In recent years, Taccia has expanded their ink offerings from their original standard line to include the “Ukiyo-e” inks, the “Jeans” series, and the new “Roughna Sketch” series. The Ukiyo-e has probably received the most attention, due to both the intricate box artwork and the fact that this line includes some amazing and unusual colors. The inks are inspired by artwork from four different artists from Japan’s Edo period (17th Century), reflected on the packaging. “Aomurasaki”, shown here, is from the collection of four inks inspired by the work of Kitagawa Utamaro.

Aomurasaki is a deep purple-black. The purple will come out with broader, wetter nibs, while the ink will appear more black in finer nibs. (Fine nib writing sample shown here alongside a swatch.)

Aomurasaki: One of Three Takes on Dark Purple

Within the Ukiyo-e line, Taccia has included multiple takes on one color. For example, there are three different shades of purple (Nakamurasaki, Aomurasaki, and Umemurasaki), with the Aomurasaki shown here being the darkest. I was looking for the darkest of purple inks to pair with my Hinze Taschenstift in the “Violet Tendencies CrazyFibre, as I wanted the darker ink to offset the lighter barrel and lilac nib. I rarely find permanent pairings, but this might be one, and if I had enough ink to sell with the pen, I’d even consider packaging them together. Anyone have any other candidates for me to try?

The tone is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Like their sibling brand Teranishi Guitar, Taccia inks offer solid performance across the entire line. They flow well while still drying in a reasonable amount of time, with Aomurasaki perfectly balanced in this regard - it’s a great ink to use for everyday writing and it’s worked quite well on multiple types of paper. The Itoya Profolio Oasis paper used here handled it without issue, of course, but I’ve also had great luck on ordinary office paper. The pen shown here has been inked with Aomurasaki for several weeks, without any clogging, skipping, or drying.

By the way, Itoya’s Profolio paper handles ink incredibly well. It dries relatively quickly, even with a q-tip swab like this one, and there was absolutely zero bleed-through.

Taccia Aomurasaki

Taccia Nakamurasaki

Taccia Umemurasaki

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Taccia inks, in my opinion, have been unfairly overlooked, mainly because Taccia doesn’t do as much marketing as other major ink-focused Japanese brands like Sailor. I personally think these Taccia inks perform just as well as, if not better than, any other Japanese brand. While the standard Taccia lineup is excellent, I tend to lean towards the Ukiyo-e inks simply because the colors have so much depth. Other favorites of mine include Hokusai Sabimidori, as well as most of the other deep green, blue, and purple shades.

All of the Taccia Ukiyo-e inks are currently available in our shop, and if you enjoy the Taccia inks, you will also want to check out the Teranishi Guitar inks since they behave similarly, but the colors are distinct with very little overlap.

Ink Review: Taccia Sabimidori vs. Teranishi Gentle Green - Two Favorites Side by Side

January 15, 2025

I’m going to do something really mean here: talk about two exceptionally good inks, one of which is sold out for the foreseeable future (though more is on the way). I wouldn’t normally do this, but I’ve had the post in the works for a while, and even though we sold through our initial stockpile of Teranishi Gentle Green in a little over a week, we do still have stock of Taccia Sabimidori. Because I’ve come to view these inks as two sides of the same proverbial coin, I wanted to discuss them together.

Taccia Sabimidori Writing Sample — I would label Sabimidori a “dark teal”. It’s a workhorse for me and for some reason I think it looks great paired with an architect nib or Naginata-style/Kodachi grind.

How are the two inks related? Though technically from different brands, Teranishi Chemical Company and Taccia are both part of the Nakabayashi Group, a large Japanese stationery umbrella company that readers and customers will likely know due to their popular Logical Prime, Logical Air, and Yu-Sari papers. My understanding is that Teranishi makes the ink for both the Teranishi Guitar and Taccia ink lines, and they certainly behave similarly (all in a good way).

Taccia Sabimidori Ink packaging — Taccia Sabimidori was “the” trendy ink from a few years ago, to the point where it was nearly impossible to get a hold of. I managed to snag this bottle at a pen show, but the craze has died down and it’s readily available.

Why do I like these inks so much? Because they’re both interesting and serviceable. 90% of the writing that I do on a daily basis is professional writing or personal journaling, and while I occasionally enjoy a wild fountain pen ink as much as the next person, most shimmer inks, “extreme sheeners,” and overly saturated colors are unusable for me because they tend to have long dry times.

Teranishi Gentle Green Box and Bottle — Though perhaps not as intricate as the Taccia Ukioy-e artwork, Teranishi’s ink bottle and packaging also look very nice in your lineup!

Both Teranishi and Taccia inks flow extremely well (without being overly wet and soaking through paper), show depth of color (including some sheen) while maintaining reasonable dry times, and exist at a sub-$25 price point that I consider to be quite reasonable for imported inks in the modern fountain pen market. Taccia has long been a staple in my ink cabinet, though I only recently discovered Teranishi as the inks became available to more U.S. retailers.

Teranishi Gentle Green Writing Sample — Teranishi Gentle Green is also a blue-green, but I would say its the “opposite” of Sabimidori. On the whole, I consider Gentle Green to lean green overall, and Sabimidori to lean blue, though the distinct mixes of similar colors is what makes both inks complementary and fascinating to me.

Of the dozens of Nakabayashi-family inks available, Taccia Sabimidori and Teranishi Gentle Green are two of my absolute favorites. When wet, Sabimidori appears teal blue, only to take on a darker teal-green tinge with red undertones/sheen as it dries. Gentle Green is the opposite - it appears to be a straight-up green ink when wet, but blue and red tones appear as the ink settles in to the paper. The degree of color variation will depend on the paper you use - here I opted for classic (old formulation) 52gsm Tomoe River Paper, which is among the best ever at showing off the various tones in fountain pen ink.

Teranishi Gentle Green Swatch — Another shot of the depth Gentle Green has when drying - shown here on Col-o-Ring Paper.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

We currently stock both Taccia and Teranishi Guitar inks in our own shop. Taccia Sabimidori forms part of the Taccia Ukiyo-e line of inks, inspired by the work of four different artists from Japan’s Edo period. Hence the full name, “Taccia Hokusai Sabimidori”, referencing the specific Ukiyo-e artist who served as the inspiration for this color. As you might expect, the box artwork is gorgeous. Teranishi Gentle Green comes from the Teranishi Taisho Roman Haikara ink line, which also bears a historical reference to Japan’s Taisho period. Both ink lines are not super-expensive, priced at $20 and $23 per 40ml bottle respectively, which seems generally consistent with other imported Japanese specialty brands.

Teranishi Guitar Inks in Store — If you come see us in person, you can view swatches and the bottle artwork up close.

If I ever decided to do a “Workhorse Ink” series (similar to my “Workhorse Pens”), I would organize it by brand, not necessarily colors, and Teranishi/Taccia would be included in the first wave of recommendations. Across the board, I’ve found that these inks perform well, and the subtle color variation gets me every time. Look for more of these reviews as I work my way through the various bottles. There are many I’m really excited about, especially in the Ukiyo-e line!

Thank you for reading! The Gentleman Stationer is supported by the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our in-person location, you can view directions and up-to-date hours here.

New Arrivals: Two Ink Series by Taccia

December 10, 2024

We’ve been sitting on this release for a couple of weeks - not because we’re holding out on you, but simply because it’s taken us this long to swatch, photograph, and list nearly 30 new Taccia inks, including both the standard line and the gorgeous cult favorite Ukiyo-e line, inspired by the work of four different traditional Japanese artists. All of these inks are now listed online and available to ship immediately!

Taccia Uguisu Fountain Pen Ink — Uguisu is one of the more interesting greens that I’ve used, featuring a lot of depth. Great lighter green colors can be hard to find.

I’ve long been a fan of Taccia Ink, as the colors are vibrant and the ink demonstrates excellent flow. Of the standard line, the blues and greens really shine (particularly Uguisu), and of course from the Ukiyo-e series, Sabimidori steals the show, with the blue-grey Ainezu another personal favorite. If you enjoy these types of colors, be sure to check out the Teranishi Guitar Inks as well, which feature similar ink formulations and 16 more interesting colors.

Sabimidori is loved for its color shift from blue to green/grey as it dries.

An update on shipping: Many thanks to all of you who supported us during our first Thanksgiving Weekend as a brick-and-mortar retailer! The new space has definitely made shipping more seamless, and orders are currently shipping within 48 hours. That said, we don’t have control over carrier processing and delivery speeds, so if you need something by a specific date, give yourself plenty of time by placing orders earlier rather than later.