review: takeda jimuki TAG kyo no oto yamabukiiro

Let's take a look at another TAG ink!

I've reviewed TAG inks before, but it's basically a Japanese in-house brand that is made with natural dyes and materials. The shades are beautiful and inspired by the sights of Japan, particularly those around Kyoto.

Yamabukiiro is a golden brown color.

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Like other inks from TAG, Yamabukiiro is on the drier side. I don't find it particularly pleasant to write with.

It dries in under thirty seconds, refusing to smudge when swiped with a finger.

It has a nice amount of shading, even in the medium nib I used here.

It took me a little while to get to this review with my Shiyou, and as you can tell, it dried out a bit in the pen. Yamabukiiro became more brown, which I'm not too mad about. However, when fresh, it's a pleasantly sunny and readable yellow shade.

On Tomoe River paper, it has nice shading even with this crisp architect grind.

I don't really use a lot of yellow colors, as is clear in this photo. De Atramentis Umber is a foggy, desaturated yellow-brown. Both Diamine Sepia and J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie are oranges, though the latter skews more golden.

I had this ink in my Live In You Shiyou Shisan with an architect nib, which wasn't a terrible combination. I wasn't a fan of it though, particularly because the ink is so dry. The Shisan benefits greatly from a nice, wet ink.

I like the color of Yamabukiiro, but I don't think it's going to get a spot in my regular rotation. It's just too dry for me! This is kind of a trend with TAG inks, unfortunately.

Where to buy

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