Sailor Fountain Pen Ink Shikiori Irori (20 ml)

Irori – in Japanese 囲炉裏 – is the sunken hearth around which winter life gathers. Sailor has translated this image into a fountain pen ink: a rich, luminous red that shifts between warm orange-red and intense fire-red depending on the paper. The ink belongs to the Shikiori series "Four Seasons" and within it to the subseries Izayoi no Yume (十六夜の夢 – "Dreams of the Sixteenth Night"). In generous strokes or swatches, a subtle golden sheen emerges, lending the red an additional depth.

Features

• Colour: Luminous red with warm orange undertone – on white paper tending towards vibrant fire-red, on ivory papers leaning more terracotta. Minimal shading, no shimmer.
• Golden sheen (Sheen): With broad ink application – stub nib, broad nib or large swatches – a subtle golden sheen emerges, like the flicker of a flame. Most visible on smooth, calendered paper.
• Water-based dye ink: Not permanent, not water-resistant. Pleasantly fluid, rich ink flow, easily washable from converter and nib.
• Nib-friendly: Specially formulated for all fountain pens and all nib sizes – from fine EF nibs to broad B or stub nibs.
• Square 20 ml glass bottle: Compact format, sits securely in the hand. Comes with a label set for marking the converter – so Irori remains identifiable even after decanting.

Use & Tips

• Corrections and annotations: The luminous red creates clear accents in manuscripts, scores or journal pages – easily readable without being overly aggressive.
• Calligraphy: Particularly with a stub nib, Irori unfolds its full effect – broad downstrokes showcase the golden sheen, while fine hairlines highlight the clear red.
• Make use of paper dependency: On smooth, ink-receptive paper (e.g. Tomoe River) the golden sheen comes into its own and the colour appears deeper. On optically brightened paper, the red appears cooler and more luminous – both effects are appealing and can be used strategically.
• Favour broad nibs: From a medium to broad nib onwards, Irori displays its characteristic properties – colour saturation and golden sheen – most fully. In fine nibs it remains a solid, clear red.
• Cleaning: The ink rinses out easily with lukewarm water from converter, piston filler and nib – no lengthy soaking required.

For Ink Enthusiasts

Irori belongs to the subseries Izayoi no Yume within the Shikiori collection – Izayoi refers to the night of the 16th lunar day, a classical motif in Japanese poetry. The 16 shades of this subseries are bottled in the square 20 ml miniature format, a size Sailor uses for the Shikiori line and which makes collecting and comparing different colours easier. Irori is a pure dye ink with no pigments, shimmer particles or iron gall components – the nib remains chemically unchallenged, and ink flow is consistent across all nib sizes. The golden sheen is created by optical interference of the ink layer on smooth paper, not by physical particles; it is strongest on Tomoe River paper under oblique light.

Technical Specifications