Pen Chalet carries several colors produced by Tag Stationery Store in Kyoto, Japan including the Kyoto Tag Hisoku Ink. Number 7 on the list, and one of the newest colors produced by this collaboration between the Tag Stationery Store and Kyoto Kusakizome dyeing laboratory. This unique association has created special ink colors using 1000-year-old traditional Japanese fountain pen ink dyeing techniques along with some modern processes that are inspired by Japanese culture and history. The dye masters at Kusakizome have created exceptional colors, shading and sheening characteristics that are light and expressive. Kyoto Tag inks are sold worldwide and are ready to ship today from Pen Chalet.
One of the newest ink colors in Kyoto Tag’s ink collection is the No. 07 Hisoku. This is a limited edition ink, so be sure to pick up a bottle of this remarkable ink before it is no longer available. Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink is a light muted blue-grey color. Unlike any other color we have tried and truly an ink shade of its own. Pelikan’s Edelstein Aquamarine ink, which was Pelikan’s 2016 ink of the year, is similar but a deeper blue, with more green and less grey. Hisoku means “secret” in Japanese and is a perfect name for the soft muted color of this ink. Like the other Kyoto Tag ink colors, Hisoku has nice shading and sheening characteristics, which fountain pen lovers will enjoy.
Continuing reading for a chance to win the bottle of Kyoto Tag Hisoku Ink we used for this review.
We found the following Traits during our review of Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink that you may find helpful:
Testing Factors
We used French made Rhodia dot pad paper, which doesn’t sheen as well as other paper, but works well with fountain pens and a J. Herbin glass spiral dip pen. The dip pen has a tip that is equivalent to a fine fountain pen nib.
Bottle Sizes
Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink comes in only one size, a 40 ml. glass bottle and is part of the Kyoto Tag Kyo-no-oto ink collection. The bottle is a unique functional shape with a large mouth and simple packaging. The simple white label has the number of Kyoto Tag ink along with the name, in this case No. 07, Hisoku. The modern white heavy cardboard box also comes with a simple letter reflecting the same information as the ink bottle label printed with a unique shaped color sample on the front.
Cost
The price point of Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink is on the higher end of the ink spectrum retailing for $28.00 for a 40 ml. glass bottle. Although on the high price range, it is similar to many other luxury ink brands.
Dry Time
During our review we found a quick dry time of approximately 4-5 seconds. This dry time was obtained using a glass dip pen on Rhodia paper.
Bleed Through
Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink is a lightly saturated ink and thus we found absolutely no bleeding during our review, even during the soaking wet cotton swab test.
Feathering
We found absolutely no feathering during normal use on Rhodia paper. However, during our water test, we did notice some line distortion and feathering but at the test’s wettest points.
Water Test
We conducted a “water test” where we run a wet cotton swab over a dried Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink sample. The results of this test were some line distortion and feathering at the wettest points only and some slight color smearing. Overall Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink held up quite well for a water-based non waterproof ink.
Shading and Sheening
One of the best characteristics of Kyoto Tag inks are its shading and sheening tendencies. We experienced some very nice shading, with a darker blue-grey to a light grey shade. There is also a light blue tint that is quite beautiful. Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink also produced some slight red sheening on Rhodia paper where the ink pooled during the cotton swab test. The sheening effects would be greater using other types of fountain pen paper as well as broader nibs that lay down more ink.
In Conclusion
Kyoto Tag Hisoku ink is a great new addition to the Kyoto Tag ink collection. It’s a unique soft muted color that can be used for many purposes. It held up well under the water test and has the possibility of some fantastic shading traits. The dry time is very quick but the price is on the high side. Overall it’s a good buy being a limited edition ink color and is unique enough to have it in your collection. We hope you enjoy this newest ink color from Kyoto Tag!
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This ink is a beautiful color which I would definitely use. Would you please review some Sheaffer or Waterman inks?
My favorite ink at the moment is probably SBRE Brown 🙂
Gray-blue inks are my absolute favorite!!
Nice looking ink.
I was waiting for this review ! Thanks !!
Love from France, Marjorie
I Love to try this ink… ❤️
It’s a beautiful blue-grey! Would love the chance to try it out.
This color is just so pale and pretty!!!
I’ve been looking at this ink the past couple months and really think it would be a great addition to my collection!
Awesome! How about another Kyoto ink review?
interesting. how about reviewing some more luxury inks?
Thank you for the opportunity!! Like trying new inks.
Some J. Herbin reviews maybe?
I’m really curious about this ink, but it seems to light for me, so I didn’t buy it yet. Of course if I would win it that would be a different matter. 😀
Very dreamy blue.
This is a gorgeous colour! I would love to see some of the new Robert Oster shimmer inks.
Very elegant ink
Bummed I missed out on this
Lovely colour. I would like to try this ink.
Beautiful ink!
I love this color 🙂
I would love to try this ink. I’ve been waiting to get into some sheening inks.
I find all your ink reviews interesting, especially unusual inks like this.
The Grey tones give it just enough “serious” to use at work. Nice review!
Thank you for the giveaway! Nice ink!
I’m starting to really like these murky blues
This is a good looking blue – is there such a thing as a “dark pastel”? That is what I see with this Kyoto Tag Hisoku. Maybe review something toward the blue side of purple/violet?
I just tried a sample of Lexington grey, and love it, new favourite!
Interested in this color
Gorgeous ink! I love that I’m hearing and seeing all of these brands I’ve never known of before through you guys. Super helpful! Thanks for the giveaway!
Yama-dori today, who knows tomorrow 🙂
Yama-dori today, who knows tomorrow 🙂 Not sure why it’s saying duplicate comment.
Beautiful shade of blue! Thanks for stocking unique inks!
What a beautiful shade of blue!!
hope i will be the one who get the giveaway. as i live in turkey we dont have the chance for getting good and different inks.
Love all inks with sheen.
I love blue inks! Thanks for the giveaway!
Very pretty mellow blue! I’d like to know how wet this could be with Juwo EF which tend to be on the dry side. Thanks!!
I’ve been eyeing this ink!! I would love to get my hands on them!
I wanna try this ink. Could be an everyday ink.
Nice review. I’d love to see more of these Kyoto tag inks reviewed here. I love these inks!
I would like to see reviews of more water resistant inks.
This is a beautiful ink. I have many favorite inks. I’m currently hooked on fuyu-syogun.
Great review, thanks.
Oh this is a beautiful color and a great opportunity E to start my foray into this brand of ink!
I want to feed this to my Petrol.
This ink seems rather washed out…
Interesting color, like the tested dry time, I’m not left handed, but it seems like I’m always smearing something I’ve written.
Such a lovely blue, and I’m not often a fan of blues because they remind me of ballpoint pens. I love that it has sheen and would like to see more reviews of a sheening inks.
Very nice shade of blue grey