Anata Burando - Ryu Nou

[Sammyo]

I have a new favourite black ink :applause:... but it is only available in one shop in Japan :facepalm: (luckily close to me)... but I heard it may end up for purchase on Rakuten soon!!!:cheer2:

I went to specific shop, an hours drive from my house just for one bottle of ink.
It is a store exclusive ink made by "Kuretake" for the shop "Anata Burando" (Your Brand).

The ink is called "Ryu Nou" (Dragon's brain) and has been formulated to be a fountain pen friendly "Sumi ink". Ryu Nou relates to a Chinese herb which is used to make perfumes as well as other things. Ryu Nou is used in the manufacture of Sumi ink to cover the smell of the base material. Sumi ink is the ground carbon ink traditionally used in Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), and is only suitable for brushes or dip pens.

Sumi ink has a very distinctive (and beautiful) smell, like a perfumed charcoal and reminds me of Japanese shrines (Ryu Nou is also used in some incense). This fountain pen ink is formulated to smell the same. It really is nice and I could just sit there sniffing the nib of my pen all day.

This is a wet, highly lubricating ink that makes the nib of any pen I've put it in feel amazing. This ink is black... Scratch that, this ink is BLACK! Black hole black! Some of the pictures look black and white, but check for the brown table behind, I promise it is not adjusted! It also has a wicked silver/violet/purple sheen which is typical of Sumi ink... and the bottle!!! oh my the bottle!!!

The bottle was made just for the shop and cannot be bought anywhere else yet, but I believe it will eventually be sold in their Rakuten shop.

It is the first of four special black inks that they will release. Each one will be a slightly different shade of black with a different scent. I think I'm getting them all if this is setting the standard! The sumi ink scent is so delightful, I hope the others are just as good.

I won't get technical in this review, it would not do the ink justice for what it is. But I will say the dry time is good from a fine nib and takes a while out of my Franklin-Christoph gusher. It has good water resistance and holds on after being under the tap for a few minutes.
(FYI the paper is a Maruman Mnemosyne pad)https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/683183df3658a1fe330a1aba3cbb4cf7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/e99af55c199c877929b034369d43b3d5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/2696fa8fc222d0fb0eb27b7c7d6294ac.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/60ca9aed5b4a3dfa5c7c099508088a36.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/76431e551f4933777be7b98cdf6f5216.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/1e4016f96bda1f9bd60c7677028ef279.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/11d045d6bcafb5e5d8f589e8f5a6518e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/6d4c5e4c0429333fc8dc2da2b2265f1c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171206/dc7dd376f27934591d0a73c845b50405.jpg

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[migo984]

That is a stunning ink, Sam. I have a couple of black inks with copper sheen but nothing like your Ryu Nou. And the packaging and bottle are equally beautiful! Just gorgeous. :hail:

Next time you make a trip to that shop I’ll have to think of how to bribe you to acquire a bottle for me ;)

[Sammyo]

Next time you make a trip to that shop I’ll have to think of how to bribe you to acquire a bottle for me ;)
FYI, just found out it should be available through Rakuten from the 8th December! You can also just buy the empty bottles too [emoji16]

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[Ahriman4891]

Now I want the ink AND a couple of empty bottles... Is Anata Burando a single shop or a chain? I'll be visiting Osaka and Kobe around New Year's, maybe I can grab some of that stuff.

[penwash]

Sam, you should write more ink reviews. I'm excited about this ink and I'm not even looking for another black ink.

That bottle looks like it could just be a Christmas tree ornament :D

[Chrissy]

I don't use black ink, but I really like the bottle. :)

[VertOlive]

Very fine ink and wonderful review, thank you!

[Sammyo]

Now I want the ink AND a couple of empty bottles... Is Anata Burando a single shop or a chain? I'll be visiting Osaka and Kobe around New Year's, maybe I can grab some of that stuff.
Sorry it is a single shop quite a looong way from where you will be...
but just in case, here is the address:
6-41 Ōtemachi, Tatebayashi-shi, Gunma-ken 374-0023, Japan

[Sammyo]

Sam, you should write more ink reviews. I'm excited about this ink and I'm not even looking for another black ink.

That bottle looks like it could just be a Christmas tree ornament :D
Thank you :redface:
Now you've said it, I want to cover my tree in these bottles with different coloured inks!

[Ahriman4891]

Now I want the ink AND a couple of empty bottles... Is Anata Burando a single shop or a chain? I'll be visiting Osaka and Kobe around New Year's, maybe I can grab some of that stuff.
Sorry it is a single shop quite a looong way from where you will be...
but just in case, here is the address:
6-41 Ōtemachi, Tatebayashi-shi, Gunma-ken 374-0023, Japan

Understood, thank you! I'll get it on Rakuten then :)

[penwash]

Sam, you should write more ink reviews. I'm excited about this ink and I'm not even looking for another black ink.

That bottle looks like it could just be a Christmas tree ornament :D
Thank you :redface:
Now you've said it, I want to cover my tree in these bottles with different coloured inks!

Allright! Just make sure that the branch is strong enough, otherwise, it's "Messy Christmas to you! Ho, Ho, ho..." :D

[Sammyo]

Allright! Just make sure that the branch is strong enough, otherwise, it's "Messy Christmas to you! Ho, Ho, ho..." :D

[emoji38]🤣

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[Jon Szanto]

For those of us who are non-Japanese-fluent, if you happen to see the listing pop up, could you give a link? I've never ordered on Rakutan and even trying to browse to look for things is very confusing. Ink and packaging look fabulous!

P.S. Lovely handwriting.

[Sammyo]

For those of us who are non-Japanese-fluent, if you happen to see the listing pop up, could you give a link? I've never ordered on Rakutan and even trying to browse to look for things is very confusing. Ink and packaging look fabulous!

P.S. Lovely handwriting.Hi Jon, of course I'm happy to [emoji4]
The link is below is for the shop and the ink is already listed:
www.rakuten.co.jp/mita-club/

P.s. Thank you for the complement on my handwriting, I compare it to so many people that I feel it looks chicken scratch!

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[Sammyo]

Someone asked me a question and I thought it would be nice to add the info here too. This is the first of four inks made by Kuretake for Anata Burando.

They are not released yet, but should all be available around the same time in February.

They will all be black, but different base colours, with different scents.

1. Ryu Nou - Sumi black (black black, the one shown above) scented with ryu nou (Dragon's Brain herb).

2. Jyakou - Purple black, scented with jyakou (musk).

3. Kiyara - Green black, scented with kiyara (agarwood).

4. Hinoku - Yellow black, scented with hinoki (Japanese cypress).

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[Ahriman4891]

Sammyo -- do you know if Kuretake is connected to Platinum somehow? I know their No. 13 brush pen is compatible with the Platinum converter (I think No. 8 is, too). The Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuretake_(art_products)) doesn't mention anything about Platinum.

[Sammyo]

Sammyo -- do you know if Kuretake is connected to Platinum somehow?
You have no idea how difficult this question is to answer! [emoji1]

There does not appear to be, or ever to have been a link between the two companies. They are both very old and are from different areas of Japan.

Platinum started as a fountain pen company in 1919; Kuretake started as a sumi ink manufacture in 1902. During the development of pens over time (especially during the 30's), like many European brands, some manufactures created similar products. If you look at a Platinum and Kuretake cartridge side by side, they are not exactly the same and it is only "chance" or "coincidence" that they are interchangeable.

I hope this answers your question 🤞[emoji3]

[Sammyo]

P.s. So is the Kuretake No. 40 & 50 which use sable hair (they are very nice, I own a 50 and it is soft as... Well... Sable hair [emoji13])

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[Ahriman4891]

Interesting, thanks! I guess it's the same sort of chance that made Parker and Aurora cartridges compatible :)

[Rossler]

I would love to try these inks.
Probably only when I can spend some vacation time in Japan. sigh....

[Sammyo]

I would love to try these inks.
Probably only when I can spend some vacation time in Japan. sigh....

I helped someone else with the same problem before.
These inks are available from Rakuten (Japanese kind of Amazon thing).
There are companies that will buy locally on your behalf and then ship to you outside of Japan.
Let me know if you want more info :D

[Rossler]

I would love to try these inks.
Probably only when I can spend some vacation time in Japan. sigh....

I helped someone else with the same problem before.
These inks are available from Rakuten (Japanese kind of Amazon thing).
There are companies that will buy locally on your behalf and then ship to you outside of Japan.
Let me know if you want more info :D

PM sent, thanks

[aaronp]

Thank you for the review. Do you still have the Rakuten links? I will definitely by this ink.

[migo984]

Thank you for the review. Do you still have the Rakuten links? I will definitely by this ink.

Here is the link

https://item.rakuten.co.jp/mita-club/kuretake-mksi-yoyaku/


(Hope Sammyo doesn’t mind me responding on his behalf. I was coincidentally online when the question popped up...)

[Dhruv]

Have all 4, nice scent on all of them. Have only used Ryu Nou yet, and it clogged the pen it was in. Refused to write so had to be emptied and cleaned throughly.

Don't know what the reason could be, the ink, or me using it in the sample pen for the third consecutive fill of this ink without washing etc, or if it was a fine nib.

[aaronp]

Thank you for the review. Do you still have the Rakuten links? I will definitely by this ink.

Here is the link

https://item.rakuten.co.jp/mita-club/kuretake-mksi-yoyaku/


(Hope Sammyo doesn’t mind me responding on his behalf. I was coincidentally online when the question popped up...)

Thank you for your help. The ink looks absolutely stunning. It is a bit on the expensive side tho.

[Scooby921]

Thank you for your help. The ink looks absolutely stunning. It is a bit on the expensive side tho.
That's because it's in a unique glass bottle and only available at one pen shop in the world. Production costs are higher on something like this. You can try sending a private message to Sammyo and see if he can get you an address for the Anata Brand store. I know he visited that pen wonderland over the weekend. If you're in Japan and like fountain pens it seems like a place worth visiting.

[Sammyo]

Have all 4, nice scent on all of them. Have only used Ryu Nou yet, and it clogged the pen it was in. Refused to write so had to be emptied and cleaned throughly.

Don't know what the reason could be, the ink, or me using it in the sample pen for the third consecutive fill of this ink without washing etc, or if it was a fine nib.

I'm so sorry you're having a bad experience. I haven't had that problem with mine, in fact I'd say it was a very "wet" ink.

Did you shake the bottle before filling? Not like crazy shake it like a cocktail, but tip it back and forth a few times? That may make a difference.

I have put a sample image below. My pen was unused for 3 hrs and had no issues.

I had the Ryu-Nou for a while and liked it still much I got one more and one of each of the other colours too. I've put it in fine, stub, BB and flex nibbed pens with no issue so far.

Do you mind me asking what pen it was?
Hopefully a little agitation might just do the trick. I had a similar problem with a bottle of MB Toffee Brown, and a gentle shaking was the answer for that ink. So now I agitate all inks before filling any pen.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180423/353f3602da14cfd282bf3f38eac78e62.jpg

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[Sammyo]

(Hope Sammyo doesn’t mind me responding on his behalf. I was coincidentally online when the question popped up...)

Not at all :)
Saves me having to look it up again :D

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[Sammyo]

Just checked the other pens I inked.
Had no issues with hard starting.
I'm not saying you didn't, that would be incorrect, you obviously did. I'm trying to help get to the root cause.

Try cleaning the pen and shaking the ink before filling. Also could it be the seal on the pen when capped?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180423/451c75c3a390a12504c96860e4773b3b.jpg

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[Dhruv]

Have all 4, nice scent on all of them. Have only used Ryu Nou yet, and it clogged the pen it was in. Refused to write so had to be emptied and cleaned throughly.

Don't know what the reason could be, the ink, or me using it in the sample pen for the third consecutive fill of this ink without washing etc, or if it was a fine nib.

I'm so sorry you're having a bad experience. I haven't had that problem with mine, in fact I'd say it was a very "wet" ink.

Did you shake the bottle before filling? Not like crazy shake it like a cocktail, but tip it back and forth a few times? That may make a difference.

I have put a sample image below. My pen was unused for 3 hrs and had no issues.

I had the Ryu-Nou for a while and liked it still much I got one more and one of each of the other colours too. I've put it in fine, stub, BB and flex nibbed pens with no issue so far.

Do you mind me asking what pen it was?
Hopefully a little agitation might just do the trick. I had a similar problem with a bottle of MB Toffee Brown, and a gentle shaking was the answer for that ink. So now I agitate all inks before filling any pen.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180423/353f3602da14cfd282bf3f38eac78e62.jpg

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Hey Sammyo,

Indeed, the ink is quite wet. No denying that. :)

The bottle with it's box was in the ink box, and it was moved a bit before filling. Not vigorously, but still quite a bit. Also, I would like to mention, if I already haven't that it was the 3rd consecutive fill in the pen of the ink, and without any washing or cleaning in between.

As for the pen I was using it in, It's this pen, with a Fine nib: https://fp-hakase.com/en/works/wt15d/

I suppose it could be the seal, not sure though. I will have to try another tried and tested ink in the pen to confirm this.
I like the ink though, has a very silky feel when you put the pen to paper. :)

[aaronp]

True. Without mass production, they cannot bring cost down to level of big manufacturers.

[Sammyo]

... if I already haven't that it was the 3rd consecutive fill in the pen of the ink, and without any washing or cleaning in between.

As for the pen I was using it in, It's this pen, with a Fine nib...

I suppose it could be the seal, not sure though. I will have to try another tried and tested ink in the pen to confirm this...

So a cheap pen then ;)
I'm not jealous at all :D
That is a great pen, so I'm surprised!
Maybe it could be the multiple fills... I'm interested to try it in some other pens and other situations.

Lost me know how you go and I'll keep trying my end to.

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[Dhruv]

So a cheap pen then ;)
I'm not jealous at all :D
That is a great pen, so I'm surprised!
Maybe it could be the multiple fills... I'm interested to try it in some other pens and other situations.

Lost me know how you go and I'll keep trying my end to.

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The waiting period actually gives you the time to save up. :) It was 13 months in my case.

I'll ink it up again soon and give it another go. This is the only black ink that I have anyway, apart from the Namiki black that came with another pen.

[karmachanic]

This dye ink is made for Mitasanshodo (https://www.mitaclub.co.jp/en/craftsmanship/)by Kuretake, based on their sumi inks.
A friend is coming my way from Tokyo next week, bringing me a botttle each of Ryuno Black and Hinoki Yellow.
Looks like the Ryuno may well challenge Chou Kuro Black