I’ve turned the corner on shimmer inks over the past few years. From tentative, to accepting, to wanting at least one pen inked up at all times with the glittery goodness. It’s a transition I’m happy with, because otherwise, I would be missing out on beautiful inks like Jacques Herbin Shogun, created to honor Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada.
As a fan of all things Japanese, and a bit of a fashion-follower, I’d be lying if I said I’ve heard of Mr. Takada prior to this collaboration. Admittedly, he was a bit before my time, but he was an icon in the fragrance industry, and later in life, art, design, and fashion. He passed in 2020, shortly after beginning this collaboration, but had a life well-lived for 81 years.
According to Jacques Herbin, this twilight-colored ink is
"... reminiscent of a beautiful night of stars, is coated with fine red and gold glitter. The resulting hue is reminiscent of certain armours from the Shogun era, for which Kenzo Takada held a fine appreciation."
I have to say it is executed to perfection. The most interesting thing I’m finding in my usage of Shogun is trying to decide what color the base ink is. Is it Black? Brown? Grey? Depending on the light, the answer is yes to each, and, at times, all. It’s fascinating to look at.
That’s before accounting for the shimmer. The red and gold combine to give it a rose gold or copper appearance, which combined with the base color, makes this ink pop off the page. This is an ink rich with color, and emotion.
Rich also describes the performance on the page. In my medium Aurora gold nib, it flows well. It’s wet, which translates into a long dry time. On Rhodia, it was very smudgable after 20 seconds, so don’t expect this ink to dry any time soon, no matter the paper. If you are ok with that, then you will be rewarded with amazing results once dry.
Even though it contains shimmer, I could use Shogun as an all-day writing ink. Ok, maybe not on official paperwork, but at first glance it looks like a nice dark ink. Upon closer inspection, it favors the twilight it was designed to represent, as well as the classic colors of the Shogun era. I can’t help but stare at my lines on the page and try to define it more than that. It’s a feature that I’m not able to.
Jacques Herbin Shogun lands in the premium ink category, at $29.50 for a 50 ml bottle. I think that is a fair price for the quality and character of the ink. This is a category that Jacques Herbin excels in, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this ink, or any Herbin shimmer ink in their Special Collection.
Finally, if you are concerned about using shimmer ink in fountain pens, you should be - to a degree. You need to think about using a wide enough nib to show off the ink properties, and to offer good enough flow to prevent clogging. Also, shimmer inks are made to be used once inked, not sit on your desk or in a pen case. Use it regularly, or clean it out. Shimmer inks aren’t something to be scared of. Just be considerate of what you are using it in, and how you are using it.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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