thINKthursday
iroshizuku syo-ro

Freshen up your writing with the tranquil color of syo-ro.

thINKthursday – iroshizuku syo-ro

iroshizuku inks are a favorite among fountain pen users, and with the lower price of $20, there is even more to love. syo-ro is my favorite iroshizuku because of its gorgeous color and interesting properties. iroshizuku ink comes packaged in a beautiful 50ml glass bottle that has an indentation at the bottom to aide in filling. This review was done with a Sailor 1911 F, Lamy Safari B and on Rhodia No 18 blank paper.

Japanese translations for ink names usually evoke beautiful imagery, and syo-ro appropriately translates to ‘dew on pine tree’. In liquid form, the ink appears blue and even as you’re writing with it, the ink goes down blue and slowly dries to a rich teal. In a finer nib there isn’t much shading leading to a uniform dark teal. With a broad nib the ink shades moderately and brings with it lighter aegean blues and piney blue greens. The ink can produce a red sheen, but I haven’t found it to show up in normal fountain pen use.

As you would expect from iroshizuku inks, syo-ro performed beautifully. The flow was good and there was no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. Dry times were a little on the high side; a fine nib dried in 20 seconds and a broader nib took well over 30 seconds. The ink has little water resistance, but clean up is very easy.

Personal preference aside, this is a great ink. The color is unique and easily legible with any nib. The ink is dark enough that you could probably get away with using it in a workplace environment. The experience of watching the ink go from a wet blue to a dry teal is worth the price of a sample alone.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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