Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku

So, sometimes I forget what ink is in a pen. It doesn't happen all that often, but it does happen. That's the reason that I started the Currently Inked page on my blog. It really helps me to keep track of my pens and inks. The story here is that I wrote this review after Christmas and set it aside. I'd forgotten to give it my customary smear of ink, and when I went back to do that, I noticed that the greens weren't at all alike. It took me a little time, but I figured out what ink I was actually using. If you'd like to see a smear of Shin-Ryoku, then check it out over here.

Iroshizuku's Shin-Ryoku is a deep, piney green. I used it for all of my Christmas cards this year, and it was kinda perfect for that. It's not a bright green, it's a deep green without being overly dark. It's my favorite of this line, I think.

 As you can see, above, this ink just gets better with wider nibs. It's unexciting with the extra fine nib (which is a bit too dry), but when you get up to the stub it starts looking really nice.

 This ink is a bit wet, so it does a little bit of bleeding on regular papers. I was using it on card stocks and other thick papers for xmas stuff, so it didn't present any problems. You'll want to use this expensive ink on decent paper, anyway, to see the shading that it can give you.

Yeah, this smear is obviously not the right ink. It's not even close. I've actually only just started to use the Mont Blanc Swift ink, and I don't think it's as good as Shin-Ryoku.

Here you can see the deep green of Shin-Ryoku compared to the much brighter Supershow Green from Private Reserve. This ink isn't going to look formal, and you probably won't use it at work, but it's a good ink if you're looking for a nice green with plenty of character.

You can find it in various places, but here's the link to Anderson Pens. At $28 for 50ml, it's pretty expensive. Occasionally, you can find this brand on sale at Amazon for about $20.

The Video

And here's the spoiler photo: