review: takeda jimuki TAG kyo no oto aonibi

Let's look at another Takeda Jimuki ink!

Takeda Jimuki's lines of inks—Kyo no Oto and Kyo-Iro—both take inspiration from Kyoto, Japan. They both come in the same bottles, though they have different labels to distinguish the two. Kyo-Iro is also slightly cheaper. The bottles are very no-nonsense and simple, which I like.

Kyo no Oto Aonibi is a soft blue-gray.

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It has a decent amount of water-resistance. Most of it sticks on, which was pretty surprising!

This is a drier ink. You can definitely feel it when you're writing with it. It does dry quickly, though.

There's quite a bit of nice shading here on Kokuyo MIO paper.

On Tomoe River paper, it's much the same story. I like the shading you get here. It's not too in-your-face, but it gives it some character.

I don't think of Aonibi as a blue-black, though it does move towards that direction. Either way, it's quite a bit lighter and grayer than most of my other dark blues. Bungubox 4B is what I would consider a "true" blue-black, and it's much darker. Both it and Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo have lots of sheen. Lennon Tool Bar Tiegan is sort of close, but it's much more of a tue blue. Organics Studio Barkley's Blue Teal is lighter and more green, and De Atramentis Pigeon Blue is lighter and more turquoise.

Aonibi, like other TAG inks, is quite dry. In drier pens, I would say that this ink borders on "painful to use." Some have recommended using a tiny (as in a dipped toothpick amount) of dish soap in a full bottle of ink. Others suggest a similar amount of pure glycerin. I can't put myself behind either of them since I haven't tried them, but some quick Googling should find answers for you.

I had this ink my Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a broad nib. Not the great combination considering the ever-so-slightly dry nature of my 92, and Aonibi took a very long time to finish using. Next time, I'll definitely put it in a wetter pen.

TAG inks are a bit iffy for me. I don't love them, though they're pretty and I like their story. If you prefer drier inks, the brand as a whole would be a great fit.

Where to buy

• The Goulet Pen Company: bottle / sample
• JetPens: bottle
• Pen Chalet: bottle / sample
• Wonder Pens: bottle + sample