Ink Review #1746: Kobe 71 Ikuta River Cherry Blossom

Valentine’s Day is coming up so let’s switch over to some pink inks this week, starting with Kobe 71 Ikuta River Cherry Blossom. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Ikuta River is a pale baby pink.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shades from medium pink to a slight orange.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

• EF Pilot Vanishing Point

• F, M, B Pilot Ishime

• Vintage Mabie Todd Swan (flex nib)

• Rhodia Goalbook

• Taroko Enigma notebooks (68gsm TR)

• Leuchtturm A5

• Pen & Gear Paper from Walmart

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Low

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering in the larger nib sizes but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Ikuta River is cooler-toned than Octopus Fluids Living Coral, and lighter than Monteverde Rose Pink. Click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Frosted Pink with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this is a cute color but it’s too light and dry for me to use everyday. It’s better as an art ink than a writing ink.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.