Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji
Ink Review #22
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Overview
The color/properties:
Momiji is a vibrant pinkish-red. It has a slight golden sheen. The degree of sheen you get will vary between the pen and paper used, but I never experienced a solid golden sheen with the six papers I conducted my tests on. Rather, it looked more like golden specks throughout the writing. Not quite like shimmer though – it was far finer and not nearly as reflective, but it was an even coat of light sheen that wasn’t always the easiest to see, but it was always there. While making a writing sample on Cosmo Air Light paper, I found that it sheened more than normal, but to the naked eye, it still wasn’t as apparent enough that I would call it a sheening ink.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
Momiji mostly performed well, there was some typical bleed-through with larger nib sizes in the Kokuyo notebook, and I didn’t experience any bleeding or feathering on most of the others, but surprisingly I did notice some micro feathering in the Leuchtturm notebook. The dry times were slightly below average: most of the nibs dried within 20 seconds, but there were a couple of instances where the ink took 25 or more, and in some cases failed to dry within the 30-second mark.
There was some water resistance, but the water creates pink, hazy, clouds that can make the writing difficult to read. Using this ink with a wetter pen will more than likely exacerbate this problem.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Momiji mostly performed well, but not without issues. While using the needlepoint, I encountered a lot of skipping and a general lack of flow. On some nibs, especially the broad nib, the flow was notably wetter than normal. Despite the inconsistencies in flow, I didn’t encounter any other hard starts or skipping beyond the needlepoint.
Though I haven’t encountered it myself, I want to mention that is due to Momiji having a high saturation, it’s likely that this ink wouldn’t last long in most pens if left uncapped without writing. For the same reasons, I also have suspicions there’s a high chance for the ink to form layers of crust around the nib.
Cleaning was easier than anticipated, but there was residue staining where the section and barrel of the pen connect to each other which required some extra effort to clean.
Value/cost per ml:
At the time of writing, Momiji can be purchased for $23.73 (from US retailers) for an 50ml bottle putting this ink at $0.47 per ml.
The bottle/packaging:
Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji comes in a decorative glass bottle that exhibits excellent clarity, allowing the color to easily be seen inside the bottle. There’s a textured label marking the name of the ink, as well as a silver tassel around the neck of the bottle creating an especially elegant appearance. The cap is faceted to allow for easier opening and the opening is wide enough to suit filling most pens. The bottle is reasonably stable for filling, and it even has a small divot at the bottom to allow you to get as much of the ink out as possible.
Score: 62.5/70
Price per ml: 6/10
Performance in a pen: 8.5/10
Performance on paper: 8.5/10
Color saturation: 8/10
Sheening: 4/10
Shading: 2/10
Dry time: 6.5/10
Water resistance: 4/10
Ease of cleaning: 5.5/10
Bottle form: 5/5
Bottle function: 4.5/5
*Only 70 of the 100 available points are required for an outstanding score.My personal thoughts…
Momiji is a word for autumn leaves — specifically the pinkish-red leaves of maple trees in the fall. I think the effect was done quite well, not just in the base color but in the slight golden sheen that specks through the ink as you write with it. It’s not sheen as most might expect — I imagine that this ink would sooner bleed through the paper than actually sheen in the conventional sense — but picture the slight sparkle that you might see on some rocks from the mica minerals. That’s what it looks like, and it imparts this ink with a very natural and earthy appearance. I have no idea if that was Pilot’s intention, but I’d like to imagine it was.
Written on Cosmo Air Light Paper with a (14k) medium Sailor Pro Gear Slim “Meigetsu/Autumn Moon”
It sheened more than ever on Cosmo Air Light
More images/info:
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 7 nib units including a Needlepoint grind, EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub, and an Architect grind. All nibs tuned to perform at the same medium wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A 68gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook