Posts filed under Nagasawa

Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Fountain Pen Ink Review

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.

Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia

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?

Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Swatches

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.

Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Writing

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.

Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Nib

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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Kobe Ginza Gold Sepia Lines
Posted on July 21, 2025 and filed under Kobe, Nagasawa, Ink Reviews.

Sailor Nagasawa Pro Color Fountain Pen 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!)

The Sailor Pro Color has a new special series from the Nagasawa Stationery Center in Kobe, Japan--this time in a lovely array of seven slightly shimmery pastel colors. I'm a big fan of the Pro Color model. To be fair, I'm a big fan of most Sailors that I've used. From their low-end, entry-level pens to their fancy-pants budget-breakers, there's an attention to detail and dedication to quality that makes all of them special.

The Pro Color isn't quite entry-level. With a price tag of $87, it's a stage past that, into the "generous gift" category, by my scale. It just crosses the impulse-buy threshold, though these pretty pens could easily blur that line with their charm.

Like the Shikiori Tsukuyo-no-Minamo that I reviewed last year, the primary difference between this pan and its fancier cousin, the 1911 Standard, is the nib material. The 1911 has a gold nib, while these models have a gold-colored steel nib. The resin of the body also feels, to me, a little bit less substantial. The edges are just slightly less finished. All of these differences have to be studied to be noticed at all. The steel nib is so smooth and perfectly tuned that I had to double-check that it wasn't gold.

The nib on this Nagasawa edition has different stamping than the regular Pro Color series. Instead of the scroll work and anchor, there's a rooster weathervane with 1882 on it, with Nagasawa and Kobe written around it. Sailor is written below that. It's a really lovely nib, and it's fun to see something different and special on it. The looks would mean nothing, though, if it wasn't also a dreamy writer. It is perfectly smooth, even with this fine nib, and it has the perfect wetness to show off the characteristics of whatever ink you're using. I don't often see much ink shading with a Japanese fine nib, but I do with this pen.

This model is the Kobe Water Blue color. It's a lovely, soft, robin's egg blue. It's also available in Ijinkan Mint (I need this color also), Nunobiki Lavender, Rikyu Moon Yellow, Hatoba Coral Pink (this one, too), Samura Sand Beige, and Oji Cherry. They're all gorgeous. The spring colors bring a nice pop of cheer to the deep winter.

All of the pens have gold-colored furniture. The cap band says "Nagasawa" and "pen style den". The clip is plain, but functions well. The grip section is comfortable, and made from the same plastic as the body. It can use Sailor cartridges or a Sailor converter. It comes with both, so you can choose your preference. I loaded mine with Sailor Ink Studios 773, which I'll be reviewing next week.

In my experience, you can't go wrong with a Sailor pen. It might be possible to spend too much on one, though. This Pro Color model gives you a wonderful writing experience for a fraction of the price of their middle- and high-end pens. If you haven't tried a Sailor yet, and are in the market for a step up from entry-level, this is a fantastic choice. Having a wonderful, inexpensive Sailor will not, however, make you immune to the allure of high-end Sailor pens. While this pen is perfectly good enough, there are never enough Sailors.

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


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Posted on January 23, 2020 and filed under Sailor, Nagasawa, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.