Today, we have a lovely ink from Sailor’s Shikiori (Four Seasons) series. Meaning “the appearance of wisteria”, this is Fuji-Sugata. I love the Shikiori inks, they’re priced well (which is not always the case with Sailor inks), and this is a particularly pretty match for its namesake flower.

With festivals in their honor, blooming wisteria are loved in Japan. Although it comes in several colors, the most common and popular is a beautiful, complex violet. Sailor has matched it well here. This is a soft, delicate violet, with heavy pink and blue undertones clearly visible at times. It’s a very nice shading ink, and this gives both light and dark aspects the opportunity to take the spotlight. The splatter shows heavy, black edging, which comes across on premiums as a nice stroke halo. There’s so much to love in this glowing, violet beauty!

In terms of wetness, this is a neutral ink, but it was very comfortable on all papers tested, and flows nicely for extended writing. Strokes were clean and sharp on all, as well. Drying was average at 15-20 seconds on premiums, and under 5 on office copy.

This is a beautiful ink, with lovely shading. It’s a wonderful writing ink, and pleasant for readers, too. This is an easy recommendation, but if you have a bottle of Sailor Jentle Fuji-musume, you can probably wait on this one. They are very similar, if not the same. If you don’t, grab a bottle. I think you’ll love Fuji-Sugata!