Pilot Iroshizuku - Ku-jaku

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku - Ink drop

Few brands come close to Pilot’s Iroshizuku line in terms of consistent and reliable quality and performance. Of the many in the line that I like, Ku-jaku is one of my first choices.

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku fountain pen ink color range

Ku-jaku is peacock in Japanese, and that’s exactly what you find here. It’s a gorgeous, rich peacock blue teal. For me, the ratio of green (or yellow to be accurate) and blue is perfectly formulated. The green is subtle, but it adds everything that makes this such a special color. It’s inviting and uplifting, and it oozes confidence.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

It isn’t overly aggressive, but this is an attractive shading ink. There’s very nice variation from medium to dark, and that helps bring out the variety of undertones. The swatches and ink drop show a cinnamon sheening around saturated areas. In writing, the sheen is generally more restrained with only a hint of stroke edge sheening on some coated papers. For me, there’s no reason you couldn’t use this in a professional setting.

Writing sample details on Cosmo Air Snow paper

In writing performance and experience, Iroshizuku inks are arguably the finest, and Ku-jaku doesn’t disappoint in any way. Flow is rich and wet, and it glides effortlessly across the page. Performance is excellent across paper types, too. You’ll find a stroke edging on coated papers and a bit more shading, but strokes are clean and sharp on all but the cheapest of copy papers. Both coated and uncoated, show-through was light on all friendly papers, too. Drying is average (good for such a saturated ink), too. This is a great writing ink.

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku writing samples

If I could only keep three inks, it’s difficult to imagine that Ku-jaku wouldn’t be among them. You can find it in the 15 ml, 30 ml, and the iconic 50 ml bottles. If the color appeals to you, don’t think twice. In my opinion, this ink is nothing less than fantastic!

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku ink swatch card

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku - Comparisons

Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku - 50 ml Bottle