Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Fountain Pen Ink Review

I seem to have two modes of ink buying: Weird, or Blue. Shopping for those non-traditional shades is one of my favorite things to do, and my counterbalance is popping a basic Blue ink cartridge into a pen and going to town.

While I keep a good stock of basic inks at hand, the weird inks are the ones that get me going. Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia fits the bill perfectly.

One of my favorite questions to ask when shopping for weird inks is “what color is it?” You would think that would be a straightforward question to answer, but with modern inks it can be more difficult than you think. So, what color do I think Ginza Gold Sepia is? Sepia, with a hint of Gold. Sorry to disappoint you, but the name is accurate!

I keep trying to see other colors in this ink that would allow me to describe it differently, but I don’t see them. Sepia Brown is the primary shade, with Gold being more of an undertone in the lighter areas of the lines and swatches. And in all honesty, I would like to see more funkiness to it, more shading, maybe a hint of Green?

I tried this ink on a variety of papers to see if I could get something to pop. Between Graphilo, Crena, PLOTTER, and two types of Midori, Ginza Gold Sepia remained Ginza Gold Sepia. I’m acting like this is a negative, but it’s not. Not even remotely. In fact, the consistency is to be commended.

This is also why I chose an Extra Fine nib for this review. Seeing ink characteristics in a swatch is one thing, but seeing an ink in its natural writing form (my writing form, to be specific,) is valuable. I want to know if this is an all day, every day writing ink more than if it will be good for Ink Pony Club.

Ginza Gold Sepia is an all day writer, but I’m left wondering how often I will choose it over more pure Brown or Sepia shades, or over something ultra funky like Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrün? I don’t think that often, but we will see how it goes.

I bought my bottle directly from Nagasawa at the 2025 California Pen Show, and you can pick yours up for $30 from Vanness Pens, or try a 4 ml sample. Kobe Nagasawa inks are made by Sailor, and meet the high performance expectations I have from the brand. It’s perfect from any nib, and on any page. Now to see how frequently Ginza Gold Sepia will be the perfect shade for me to use.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Endless Stationery Alchemy Inks Series — Poseidon's Reef Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Alchemy Inks Series from Endless Stationery is a fun collection of inks that all tell a story of how an alchemist was able to wield the power of each ink with the help of gods of legends. With Poseidon's Reef, we get a lovely teal ink with heaps of red/purple sheen and a bit of shading to mimic the look of shallow ocean water.

I'm personally powerless to resist adding a new blue, teal, or turquoise ink to my collection. At least with Poseidon's Reef, I get a nice dark teal ink that has a massive sheen flair that shows up on the page easily. The shade is a dark blue with a hint of green that turns it into a teal color. It's a pleasant color that somewhat reminds me of the ocean, but the slight bit of shading and hue variation adds more to that allusion. I'd like it if the ink had more shading variation, but the subtle effect is nice.

The characteristic that really surprised me with this ink is the sheen. There's an obvious and abundant red and purple sheen on this ink once it dries. Even in smaller nibs, the contrasting sheen shines through the dark teal background. It's a great effect, and one that really distinguishes this ink from other similar dark teal inks.

Something else that surprised me is the amount of time it takes this ink to dry. It's mostly dry by 15-20 seconds, where only some small areas still smudge with moderate pressure. In normal writing circumstances with a fine nib, I was able to write and immediate wipe my hand over the page without causing any smudges. The ink will still smear for left-handed writers, so we can't add it to the esteemed list of super-fast drying inks. Still, it dries fast enough to be worth mentioning.

Once you get past the color and sheen effects, there's one characteristic that I've noticed that I don't like. In certain circumstances, the ink tends to feather and bleed. It doesn't happen all the time, which makes me think it has something to do with the paper. Still, it happens about once per sentence and is noticeable.

Feathering aside, this is still a wonderful ink. The flow is smooth and steady, the color is deep and mysterious, and the intense sheen is a lot of fun. The bottle that Endless Stationery use for the Alchemy series is a fun design as well. The base of the bottle is convex, which causes the bottle to twirl around gently. I definitely wouldn't let it twirl with the lid off, but you also get a nice cork stand that keeps the bottle steady when you're filling your pens. It's a fun bottle design, but definitely not something that should influence anyone's decision to buy. The artwork on the box is also fun, with a detailed illustration of Poseidon next to a coral reef with a holographic effect on the box that shifts the colors.

Poseidon's Reef is $20 for a 45 ml bottle, but you can also pick up a small 4 ml sample vial to try out if you're not sure you want the whole bottle. There are a few other color options in this series, and I look forward to trying some others!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Pilot Iroshizuku To-ro Fountain Pen Ink Review

Pilot has been actively updating the full Iroshizuku Fountain Pen Ink lineup over the past few years by removing underperforming colors, and adding new shades to fill in the gaps. Their choices have been questionable these past few rounds, but they nailed the newest three additions that launched in Fall 2024.

The newest shades are the Wintery-Blue Rikka, the deep Purple-Red-Black Syun-gyo, and the one I’m discussing today, the Warm Lantern Yellow-Orange of To-ro. Universally, these have been well-received, although did they really need another Blue? Rikka is fine, but I believe the least interesting of the bunch. Syun-go seems to lead the sales and usage charts - anecdotally, at least. To-ro, well, that’s a Brad ink, so let’s get into it.

Several years ago, as part of Pilot’s 100th Anniversary celebration, they launched an ink called Daikokuten, which quickly became one of my favorites. I classify it as a Yellow ink, and it is shockingly legible. I had been waiting to see if Pilot would bring it, or something similar, to the main Iroshizuku lineup, and instantly wondered if To-ro was it.

Not exactly, but To-ro may be better for more people with shades of Orange mixed with Yellow. A comparison swatche shows the differences:

To-ro is clearly more Orange on the page, but not as Orange as Pilot’s other options in the lineup, Yu-yake and Fuyu-gaki. I think Yu-yake is closer to a standard shade of Orange, and Fuyu-gaki is the Red-Orange option. To-ro leans more yellow, and has an interesting vibrancy about it, making it perfectly legible on the page, even with my small handwriting.

Like all other Iroshizuku inks I’ve tried, the performance is right down the middle. They have great flow, good color, average dry time, moderate shading, and almost no sheen. In short, they are a Goldilocks performer. Price-wise, at $28.50 for 50 ml, they creep over into the expensive side of the ledger, but I think that’s fair for the quality. The bottle design is top-notch, as well.

Given all that, how does To-ro rate among the new three inks? I still think Syun-gyo is the best - and most popular - of the new colors, for good reason. It is the most different shade, and most usable on the page. To-ro is a good addition to the lineup, but with it, we are now teetering on the edge of maximum Oranges for a 24 ink collection. Will Pilot continue to discontinue underperforming inks and create new ones? I wouldn’t be surprised, but I’m not sure this is an every year thing unless they grow the SKU count of the Iroshizuku lineup.

To-ro is an ink that is right up my alley, and a good switch up from the hotter Oranges I frequently use. It clears the light shade barrier by a good margin, and is easily readable on the page. I see this being a frequent refill option for many of my pens, and I can’t wait to see where it lands next.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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