Ink Review #1694: Kobe 40 Sumiyoshi Brown

Thanksgiving is coming up fast, so I’m reaching for all the brown inks this week! Let’s take a look at Kobe #40 Sumiyoshi Brown from Kobe’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Sumiyoshi Brown is a dark espresso brown.

*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 has a little bit of sheen.

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: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sumiyoshi Brown isn’t super close to any of the other brown inks I have. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Waterman Ideal on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, it’s a good standard brown ink. I do wish the flow was a little bit wetter, but it’s well behaved and has a bit of shading too!

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