Kyo-Iro is my first encounter with this relatively new -at least in our regions- Japanese ink manufacturer, and it's quite a good one! It's a collection of inks developed by and for the TAG stationery store in Kyoto, but luckily instead of keeping it store-exclusive (I'm looking at you, Sailor!), they are distributed worldwide. I went for Stone Road of Gion because I seem to be enjoying a lot of moody, darker inks lately, and Stone Road of Gion fits that description completely.
It has a strong vintage look about it, the color -somewhat remniscent of the brown hue of those really old photographs- is kind of a balance between grey and brown, with very low saturation and quite light.
The color itself is unique, which was enough reason for me to choose this one. You see, after 100+ inks, it becomes quite hard to find something completely new, and refreshing. Another reason to like this ink is the incredibly neat shading, that ranges to a very dark brown in some areas, and depending on which pen and nib you use.
As far as other properties go, you'll have a hard time finding sheen, because there isn't any. But that's not too uncommon for grey/brown inks. It's quite a well-behaved ink in terms of feathering and bleedthrough. Dry times aren't too long because it's a noticeably dry ink - the main drawback of this ink.
The main disadvantage of Kyo-Iro inks is their price, as they currently run around 25 EUR or higher for a 40ml bottle. Appelboom, who also provided the ink for this review, also offers small sample vials with a couple of ml to try before you buy, and see if it's worth the money.
Lamy Safari & Vista
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