Kobe Kounan Maroon Ink is one of the 20 Kobe ink colors that we currently have in stock. Nagasawa Kobe inks, which used to be exclusive to Japan have been made available to a select few American retailers and we are excited to offer them. Kobe ink was originally created by Sailor for the Nagasawa Stationary store in the city of Kobe, the 6th largest city in Japan. The city of Kobe is known for its religious shrines and distinctive architecture, which is reflected on the Kobe ink box.
Kobe #27 Kounan Maroon ink is a beautiful dark burgundy or plumb color. It is very similar to Sailor Oku-Yama ink, but is slightly darker with less purple. Whether you prefer the more common Sailor Oku-Yama, or the more exclusive Kobe Kounan Maroon ink, you cant go wrong.
Continuing reading for a chance to win the bottle of Kobe Kounan Maroon Ink we used for this review.
During our review we found the following characteristics that you may find helpful:
Testing Factors
For our review we used French made J. Herbin glass dip pen on French made Rhodia dot pad paper. The dip pen has a tip that is similar to a fine nib.
Bottle Sizes
Kobe Kounan Maroon ink comes in one size, a standard 50 ml. glass bottle similar to Sailor Jentle inks. The bottle has a large mouth opening and is actually able to be tipped on its side to gather those last few drops of ink. Kobe ink comes in a standard cardboard black box with a very interesting Kobe skyline covering three sides of the box.
Cost
Kobe Kounan Maroon ink costs slightly more than normal Sailor inks and retails for $30.00. This makes Kobe inks on the higher end of the price spectrum although definitely not the most expensive on the market.
Dry Time
During our review of Kobe #27 Kounan Maroon ink we found a quick dry time of approximately 5 seconds using the dip pen on Rhodia Paper. Obviously with a larger tip or nib, you may experience a longer dry time.
Bleed Through
There was no bleeding while using Kobe Kounan Maroon ink on Rhodia paper, even during the cotton swab test.
Feathering
We did not experience any feathering using the dip pen on Rhodia paper. However, during the water test, at the wettest line only, we did see some feathering.
Water Test
Kobe Kounan ink is not waterproof, however, it stood up ok during the water test. The lines remained pretty clear and distinct (except at the wettest points). There was lots of color smearing and some slight feathering. These are not a-typical results from non-waterproof ink.
Shading
Like its similar counter part Sailor Oku-Yama, Kobe Kounan Maroon ink will produce some nice shading with the deep dark lines, to a lighter plumb color. We also saw a slight bit of green sheen come through during the cotton swab test at its wettest point. Other paper, such as Tome River paper, may bring out the sheen more than Rhodia paper did.
Conclusion about the Kobe Kounan Maroon Ink
Kobe Kounan Maroon ink is one of the 20 Kobe inks brought into America. We hope to get more of the 50+ inks that are available in Japan. We have Kobe inks in stock today and they are ready to ship.
Kobe #27 Kounan Maroon ink is a nice standard maroon color, similar to many other burgundy or maroon colors on the market. However, the Kobe box, name and some of its characteristics such as the shading, sheen and dry time may tip the scale a bit in favor of Kobe Kounan Maroon. We are pleased to be an authorized American retailer of Kobe inks and hope you will pick up a couple of these exceptional Japanese ink colors today.
Enter to Win
Enter to win the actual bottle of Kobe Kounan Maroon ink that we used in this ink review:
Buy Fountain Pens
Best Desktop Pen Holders
Inkwells
Pen Brands
Namiki
Kaweco
Waterman
That is a beautiful ink. I’ve been looking for a dark red..
Another gorgeous ink…
Sailor’s inks are always impeccable! I like the bottles of Kobe #51 and #14 that I have, and would love to try this one too 🙂
Sailor Kounon is such a lovely maroon colour! It reminds me of Diamine’s Merlot! Both are such absolutely gorgeous inks! I’m praying that I’m lucky enough to win the Kobe Kounan Maroon!
Is this a pigment ink or dye ink?
I really like this maroon color ink
Maroons is one of my fav colors
The Kobe inks are beautiful. I don’t think I have a comparable color in my collection.
I hadn’t really considered picking up a red ink, but the review of this one has me thinking about it! Really nice depth of color and good qualities.
I haven’t tried the Kobe inks, but I do like Pilot Iroshizuku inks.
Lovely ink!
Hopin’ I win this one. Nice looking inke!
Very pretty ink.
Ohh that’s a really nice colour
I’ve never tried this brand of ink. Looks beautiful. I also love those wide mouth tops!
Great ink! I’d love to try it out
🙂
I have samples of a few Sailor inks, but have not yet tried a Kobe ink. I always have a pen with red ink, sometimes bright, sometimes darker. I’d love to try this ink.
One of my favorite color branches. Looks lovely.
I haven’t tried Kobe inks before, but I have several Sailor Jentle inks and love them!
This is an unusual colour but very rich looking.
Very nice, deep color.
Beautiful looking ink. Thanks for the GAW.
Very nice and deep maroon color and awesome giveaway.
Beautiful ink! The colour makes me want to write! Hopefully I’ll get a chance to try it soon!
It’s a nice ink, I’m glad Kobe didn’t make it rust colored like some maroons out there.
This is an outstanding color and I have just the pen for it.
Beautiful color and love the bottle 🙂
Sailor always has some of the best inks and this is no exception. Love the color.
Is kobe ink still made by sailor
Maroon is my favourite ink. Kobe Kounan is calm toned burgundy 🙂
I absolutely love the Kobe Monogatari inks. I have a personal connection to them, as I lived in the city for 5 years. When I learned of them, I had to start collecting. Amazingly I’d been to the shop for which they were named a million times, but I wasn’t quite as into fountain pens back then!
My favorite ink lately has been Kobe Bordeaux, which is a rich wine color with a subtle green-gold sheen at the edges. That’s been my regular for most note-taking. Another I’ve been using is Minatogawa Lime, which I don’t believe you carry.
Love the color!
My current crush atm are the Platinum Classic ‘black’ inks. They are absolutely GORGEOUS!
This is a lovely ink! It seems dark enough to use for professional purposes, yet fun enough for everyday.
Sailor has some interesting inks. I have none at this point in time, but intend to explore some of their offerings in the future for sure!
This ink looks fantastic! Anything in the realm of maroon and produced by sailor seems to end up on my ink wish list.
Lovely colour of Kobe ink. This one would be first Kobe ink for me. Thank you PenChalet.
I love this color for Christmas cards.
The only ink I have close to maroon is Oxblood and Red Dragon by Diamine. I would love to add this to my collection!
This maroon is a beautiful colour, although I tend to prefer the browns and yellows. Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great looking ink! I’m thrilled to have access to these inks!
Gorgeous winter colour.
Such a lovely color!
Such a beautiful colour!!
Looks like a fantastic ink!