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