Read today’s Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink review for more info and details about one of the 3 new releases in this wildly popular ink collection from trusted Pilot Pens.

All About the Ink Maker: Pilot

Pilot Pens is a well-respected Japanese pen and ink company with almost 100 years of experience creating beautifully crafted pens and inks. Their products are known for their exquisite Japanese craftsmanship, and their nibs and inks are specifically known for their superior precision. The company is committed to creating exceptional products, and this makes them a favorite for pen collectors, writing enthusiasts, and artists at every level of experience from the beginner to the well-seasoned.

All About The Ink Series: Pilot Iroshizuku Ink Series

Pilot Iroshizuku ink collection is a beloved, luxury line of ink. The fountain-pen safe inks are made in Japan and are a go-to ink for many fountain pen enthusiasts. The ink collection name means coloring (iro) droplet (shizuku), and the ink colors are inspired by the beautiful Japanese landscape, plants, and environment. Most are familiar with this popular ink collection, and for quite a while, the collection has included 24 different ink colors. (Not counting Pilot’s releases of the 100th Anniversary ink collection a few years back). However, this well known ink collection recently saw some changes! In Spring 2022, Pilot announced they would be discontinuing 3 of the standard inks in the Iroshizuku Collection, and adding 3 new colors.

2022 Discontinued Pilot Iroshizuku Inks:

• Asiatic Dayflower (Tsuyu-Kusa)
• Grain of Rice (Ina-Ho)
• Horsetail (Tsukushi)

2022 NEW Colors Added to Pilot’s Iroshizuku Collection:

• Flower Raft of Japanese Cherry (Hana Ikada)
• Light of Fireflies (Hotaru-Bi)
• Emerald (Sui-Gyoku)

Today’s featured ink is one of the 3 new colors joining the Iroshizuku ink collection, Sui-Gyoku or Emerald ink.

All About This Week’s Feature: Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku (Emerald) Ink

This week we’ll be checking out the Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku (Emerald) Ink, which is a very vibrant emerald green color with a tint of blue. Sui-Gyoku ink goes down in a medium to high saturation and shows up dark on paper with consistent color flow. Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink showed as a unique, interesting color with great ink characteristics during our ink review. (We also have to reiterate how wonderful the Iroshizuku ink bottle is – it’s still a Pen Chalet favorite. More on the ink bottle and packaging later in the Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink review).

***Looking for the giveaway that usually accompanies our weekly ink reviews? As always, we’ll forgive you if you skip straight to the bottom of this ink review and enter to win. But remember winners are no longer picked weekly! Instead, we will include ALL of the inks featured in our weekly ink reviews as giveaway prizes during our NEW monthly 15 on the 15th: GIVEAWAY DAY with Pen Chalet. Check it out: 15 on the 15th (you’re going to love it).***

It’s Time: Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku Ink Review

For this Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink review, we put the new ink to the test to see how it performed with some of our standard ink testing materials and paper products.

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

As usual, we used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib) on Rhodia Bloc pad paper. As always, we want to remind you that different papers or different nib sizes may produce different results!

What Sort of Ink Bottle Does Pilot Use?

The Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink comes in the very distinctive (and much-loved) Pilot Iroshizuku inkwell bottle. The heavy weighted 50 ml. glass bottle is one of the best in the industry offering a superior presentation and a small ink well at the bottom of the bottle allowing for the collection of those last few droplets of ink. The ink bottle’s lid is large and faceted, allowing for easy opening. The only critique I would make on the lid is that its height is short, which sometimes makes it hard to grip. The outer packaging is very professional and protects the bottle well. Each bottle has the name of the ink in both written and scripted Japanese (but not the English name) on a label in the approximate color of the ink itself.

How Much Do Pilot Iroshizuku Collection Inks Cost?

Pilot Iroshizuku inks (50ml) are a mid to high-range priced ink. Look for the best prices at PenChalet.com.

How Did Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku Ink Perform in the 1-Dip Test?

We applied our standard one dip test to see how far Pilot Sui-Gyoku ink would write on paper (dipping the dip pen in the ink only on time). Sui-Gyoku easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples (one dip per writing sample, S, X, and scribble lines).

What was the Dry Time During the Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku Ink Review?

During our review, Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku Ink showed a dry time of approximately 5-7 seconds with medium to high saturation. We’re comfortable suggesting it as a safe choice for everyday ink.

Did Sui-Gyoku Show Any Bleed Through During the Ink Review?

We saw no bleeding during normal use and only some very slight bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test (at the wettest points).

Was There Any Feathering During the Review?

We saw no feathering during normal use. We did see some slight noticeable feathering during the water test (and during the heaviest saturation with the cotton swab test).

How Does Beneath the Wheel Stand Up to Water?

Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink is not waterproof, but we tested it anyway. (We always test the inks each week even if they aren’t supposed to be able to withstand exposure to water, so we have an idea of how they’d react). For the water test, we let our ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before we run a wet cotton swab over the sample to observe the effect. Here’s what we saw when we subjected Sui-Gyoku to our standard water test:

• Light green-blue color smearing
• Lines very legible
• Not much distortion at all
• Very slight additional feathering

For non-waterproof ink, Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink held up very well to the water test.

Does this Week’s Ink Show Good Shading Traits?

The Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink has some very nice shading possibilities with a lighter (almost turquoise) color to a darker shade of emerald green.

Final Conclusion on Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku Ink:

Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink is a mid to high-range priced ink from a well-regarded Japanese pen company. The inks have top notch packaging and one of the best ink bottles in the entire industry. Sui-Gyoku is a beautiful emerald green-blue color with a reasonable dry time. This high performance ink is safe for fountain pens, and joins a lineup of inks that many enthusiasts consider an industry standard. Happy writing from Japan!

Enter to Win This Week’s Ink, Next Week’s Ink & More

Look for the bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku ink used in this week’s ink review as one of the giveaway prizes in our next 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet! Watch for the next set of giveaway prizes to be updated on the website! And, of course, come back next week for another weekly ink review!