Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri - June 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al Star (F)
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 14 seconds
Waterproofness: only the black undertone

The fourth ink in this month's Ink Drop is Iroshizuku Yama-guri. Yama-guri, or Wild Chestnut, is an apt name for this ink, which fits right in with the Farmer's Market theme. A warm, dark brown, the ink reminds me of milk chocolate.

Yama-guri is a very well behaved ink, as is typical of the Iroshizuku inks. No feathering or bleed occurred in my Rhodia pad, even with the flex nib. The ink is pretty highly saturated, so there was minimal shading, though I've found that to be the case with a lot of the darker brown inks. Dry time was a tiny bit high at 14 seconds, and water test shows the only portion of the ink that stays behind is a dark grey or black color.

Chromatography had quite a few colors in the mix - the greyish-black base stayed put, which makes sense based on my water tests. then there is a dusty purple,, followed by a bit of orange, yellow and pink. The chroma sheet was nearly identical to the Kobe #3 Sepia I did a few days ago.

Speaking of #3 Sepia, this ink definitely resembles that ink on the page. In swab form, Sepia is a little more reddish than Yama-guri, but on the page the resemblence is closer. Yama-guri is a tiny bit lighter with certain nibs. KWZI Green Gold has some similar brown tones, but is quite different on the page.

I am actually really warming up to some of the brown inks out there. Yama-guri is definitely one to check into if you're looking for a good brown ink to add to your collection. You can get a full size bottle for $28 at most US retailers, or you can get the smaller 15mL bottle for $10.50 from Vanness Pens.

Thanks for reading!
ori