Ink Review #209: Kyo-no-oto Hisoku

This week begins the first week of the month so it's time for reader request ink reviews. Today's ink request is Kyo-no-oto Hisoku, a limited edition ink from the TAG stationery store in Kyoto, Japan. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens. 

The color:

Hisoku is a light steel blue with shading. Seasonally, I would probably use this ink in the winter.

The larger the swab the more sheen is visible, however the sheen is not visible in writing.

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

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Low

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Medium shading, a tiny bit of black sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen is only visible in large swabs and ink drops on Tomoe River paper.

On 20 pound copy paper there was a little bit of feathering but other than that the ink behaved well. 

Ink swabs for comparison, left to right (top to bottom for mobile RSS): PenBBS 233, Kyo-no-oto #7 Hisoku, and Birmingham Pens Fountain Truquoise. 

Organics Studio Copper Turquoise, Noodler's Legal Blue and Robert Oster Evening Sapphire. Click here to see the blue inks together. Right now I don't have a good ink match for Hisoku.

Longer writing: 

I used a broad Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl on Tomoe River paper. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, it's a really interesting color. It's a bit light, but not too light for everyday use for me. I prefer inks with a wetter flow, so it's not an ink I need a full bottle of, but I like the color and shading. Give it a try, you might love it.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page.