Iroshizuku Ina-ho (Rice ear)
Pen: Lamy Safari (F)
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: high
Saturation: low to medium
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 9 seconds

I've had my eye on Iroshizuku Ina-ho for quite some time now. I always looked at it whenever I placed an order, but never got a sample. For some reason the color was different enough to draw my attention, and eventually I did break down and get a sample. I am very glad that I did.

Ina-ho or "rice ear" is a very unique ink. Its a pale brown color with some distinct gold tones and is an AMAZING shader. I would never have thought that I'd fall for a brown ink, but I really love this one. I love it so much that I may end up getting a full bottle.

Aside from it's awesome shading characteristics, Ina-ho has a great dry time at around 9 seconds from my Lamy F nib. Being an Iroshizuku ink, it flows very nicely and doesn't feather or bleed in the slightest. The ink really glides across the paper, which is a big draw for me.

Chromatography was very interesting for this ink. It has some blue, pink and yellow - if you're into easter colors, you'll love the chroma sheet!

You're getting some sneak previews of inks I haven't reviewed yet here, but Ina-ho compares closest to Noodler's Rome Burning as far as the inks I currently have. I haven't decided yet which one I like better, but I'm thinking Ina-ho will win out.

All in all, Ina-ho turned out to be a very pleasant surprise for me. I think I'll look into checking out more gold & brown ink colors. If you're interested in a bottle for yourself, you can get the full size bottle for $28, or a mini bottle (15mL) for between $10.50 or $14 at Vanness Pens or JetPens respectively.