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.)
