Ink Review: Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

Posted byShangchingPosted inCaran d'Ache, De Atramentis, ink, ink comparison, Pilot, Rohrer and Klingner

While tidying up my bottles of ink, I also discovered that I had plenty of ink samples.  One of my goals before I purchased another full-size bottle was to use up some of the samples I have accumulated.  Ever since my pleasant experience with Caran d’Ache’s Caribbean Blue, I wanted to look for another shade of turquoise or teal.  Iroshizuku’s Ku-jaku was simply stunning.  Ku-jaku literally means peacock, and as one can see, the color is as vibrant as the feathers of one.  This color would brighten up and transform any piece of paper instantaneously.

This ink surprised me in several respects.  It actually worked well with selected normal paper, even with Post-it Super Sticky notes, despite the bleedthrough on the normal paper is almost 100%.  The smoothness of the ink on the normal paper is almost unbelievable (though it will not work with toothier paper since it might feather).

The drying time of this ink is on a longer side.  Though Visconti Rembrandt writes a bit wet, the ink dries within 10 seconds; in other words, the lefties out there might need to pay more heed as they write.

Ku-jaku has more green than blue to my eye.  Probably because of the soothing quality of color green, ku-jaku did not tire my eyes out, even when I use it frequently.  It is vibrant but not loud, brilliant yet subtle.

Unfortunately, ku-jaku has zero tolerance to water.  When I did water resistance test on other inks, I can at least see the text underneath for couple seconds because it became smeared.  Ku-jaku immediately blended with water.  I imagine it would be great to make water-color effect with this ink.

How does ku-jaku compare to other shades teal?

Written with Brause 361 Steno “Blue Pumpkin”
Close up of the three teal colors
De Atramentis plum blue is the darkest out of all three; it can almost pass as a black with teal tint.  Caribbean blue and ku-jaku are in similar shades, but Caribbean blue i smore blue, while Iroshizuku has more green.
Ku-jaku is definitely a nice surprise to me, compare to the other Iroshizuku I used before.  Price wise, it is still a bit higher than Pelikan Edelstein series, but the bottle does look exquisite.  If you are looking for an inky indulging experience, with a velvetly smooth flow, Iroshizuku ku-jaku would be ideal for you.
Volume:  50ml
Price:  $28-32
What other ink-addicts have said about ku-jaku:
The Missive Maven
The Dizzy Pen

 

2 thoughts on “Ink Review: Iroshizuku Ku-jaku”

  2. I thought you have Caribbean Blue? It is very nice color… peaceful and serene. I would imagine peacock to be more flamboyant, but ku-jaku is surprisingly calm to my eyes. They are all three wonderful colors, but I am still partial to more affordable inks….

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