Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Sabimidori (Rusty Green) Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai collection is a series of inks based on the colors found in the works of Japanese artist Hokusai, in particular Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji. You can see Sabimidori in the painting below called Sundai, Edo:

Sundai Edo, By Katsushika Hokusai. This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0.

Sabimidori means "rusty green," and that's the perfect name for this ink which turns into a dusty green when dry and exhibits rust-colored sheen. When the ink is wet, however, it is a beautiful deep teal blue.

The 40ml bottle of ink comes well-packaged in a Hokusai inspired box.

On my Col-o-dex card, the ink swab looks dusty teal green. You can see the rusty sheen in the swirls and splats.

I've never tried Taccia ink before, but I'll say right off that I am impressed. In my testing on Rhodia paper, the ink flowed beautifully in my Sailor MF nib. It dries in about thirty seconds and is a well-lubricated ink. On white paper, the ink looks like a deep teal green, but you can see the blue component in the water test.

Chromatography reveals the secret of why this ink looks blue when wet and green when dry: it is primarily composed of blue with a touch of green. I really love these colors.

The sheen is most evident in my testing with a ruling pen. You can see glorious shading as well as that rusty sheen.

In my MD Notebook Journal, the ink looks more green than blue (probably due to the cream color of the paper). Again, the ink is wet and easy-flowing. It's a perfect match for my Bungubox Sailor Sanctuary Blue pen (review on that pen coming soon).

I created this doodle in my Galen Leather Tomoe River Paper journal (reviewed here). On Tomoe paper, the blue tones come through more than the green.

I'm in love with this Taccia ink, and now I want to try all the inks in the series. You can purchase a 40ml bottle from JetPens for $23.00 (at this writing JetPens is out of stock, but they plan to restock the ink).

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

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The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 437 - That's Not My Handwriting

May I borrow a pen?

I did a little - ok, a lot - of pencil proselytizing this week, as graphite has become my writing medium of choice as I swap over to writing left-handed. We also discuss Graf von Faber-Castell redeeming themselves with their 2021 Pen of the Year, perforated notebook choices, and buying second-hand pens.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Harry's: Quality shaving and grooming products, at a fair price.

Good Made Better: Magnify the delights of life. Get 15% off your Penwell purchase with code PENADDICT.

Nakabayashi Lifestyle Tool Wall Box Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

You know those sweet antique steamer trunks that fancy travelers always had, where they opened up to be an entire wardrobe with drawers and compartments and hangers and everything? This is like a mini one of those for your stationery. How clever is that?

The Nakabayashi Lifestyle Tool Wall Box is made of firm cardboard, reinforced with steel, with a textured paper surface. The box can be decorated, but also looks good with its plain minimalistic design. The interior is also lined with strong magnets, so the box can stick to metal surfaces or a fridge, which is a feature I didn't think I needed until I tried it. Once I tried it, I realized that is probably where mine will stay. Partly because it's extremely useful and partly because the magnets are so strong it's actually really hard to get it off the fridge.

The box folds open lengthwise, and inside are a series of small compartments for all your desk necessities. The left side has one larger compartment that is perfect for scissors or a handful of pens, or both. The top flap of the box folds up on that side, so if you're using it as a pen stand or on your fridge, you can fit even taller items on that side. On the right are three smaller shelves--two like pockets, and the bottom one like a shallow tray. There is also one tall, narrow pen slot toward the middle. These pockets are great for washi tapes, sticky notes, clips, pencil sharpeners, or other wee sundries.

At $18, it's expensive for a cardboard box. But it really is well constructed and cleverly designed--more so than some similarly priced fabric pen pouches. When closed, the box is held shut by its magnets and fits well on shelves or in bags, and the hard cardboard keeps your items safe. They're ready for a jaunt across campus or a steamship across the Atlantic, whichever.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge 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!