review: pilot iroshizuku fuyu-syogun

It felt right to talk about Fuyu-syogun right after I talked about its sibling ink, Kiri-same. They're like two sides to the same coin, I guess!

Like I've mentioned before, all of my Pilot Iroshizuku inks are in the smaller 15ml glass bottles. I'm a fan of this size because it's a good jumping off point for the relatively pricey Iroshizuku inks. You might feel a bit grumpy if you spent about $20 for 50ml of an ink you hated.

Fuyu-Syogun is a cool-toned gray.

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Fuyu-syogun has a surprising amount of water resistance. It basically didn't budge at all when it came in contact with water—that's pretty awesome!

The ink also dries relatively quickly, with it being dry to the touch just after the 10 second mark.

There isn't very much shading in the fine and broad nibs on Kokuyo MIO paper.

On Tomoe River paper, there's a little bit more shading. I have to say, this ink might be simple but it has a wonderful look on the page.

I compare it here to some of the other grays I have in my collection, and none of them are quite the cool blue of Fuyu-syogun. Colorverse Anti-Matter and Pilot Iroshizuku Kirisame are both warmer. Colorverse Matter is neutral but quite a bit darker, like graphite. Troublemaker Petrichor is really only in there just for fun.

I have this ink in my Kaweco Sport with a broad nib. It's occasionally prone to ink starvation, but I haven't had any issues with Fuyu-syogun. I used to think this ink was pretty boring and rarely reached for it, but I'm glad that I was able to use it again to update this review.

Where to buy

I purchased this bottle with my own funds.

• The Goulet Pen Company: bottle / sample
• JetPens: bottle (15 ml, 50 ml)
• Pen Chalet: bottle / sample
• Vanness: bottle + sample
• Wonder Pens: bottle + sample

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This post was updated on 12/15/19 to match my current review methodology.