Sailor Fountain Pen Ink Shikiori Yodaki (20 ml)

Yodaki – 夜焚 – means "night fire" or "flames in the darkness". This fountain pen ink from Sailor's Shikiori collection truly lives up to its name: a rich, dark scarlet red with a distinctive gold-green sheen that gleams under raking light on smooth, calendered paper. The ink is water-based, dye-based, and specially formulated for gentle use in fountain pens.

Features

• Scarlet red with depth: Yodaki presents itself as a warm, dark red with subtle brick and rust undertones – neither pink nor orange, but a true, saturated red. With heavier ink coverage, the colour deepens noticeably.
• Gold-green sheen: On smooth, permanent paper and with wider nib strokes, the ink develops a pronounced gold-green sheen – an optical counterbalance to the warm red that gives characters dimensional character.
• Minimal shading, high sheen: The ink shows little shading – colour coverage remains even and clear. This makes it a reliable choice for legible handwriting and consistent lines.
• Water-based dye – pen-friendly: The formulation is specifically designed for compatibility with all fountain pen types: no corrosive iron gall components, no particles. Ink flow is smooth and continuous.
• Drying time: The ink dries at a moderate pace – at normal writing width, in approximately 20–30 seconds on permanent paper.
• Shikiori series / Tsukiyo no Minamo: Yodaki belongs to the subseries "Tsukiyo no Minamo" (月夜の水面 – "water surface in moonlight"), which captures poetic natural scenes in the darkness of different seasons.
• Square glass bottle: The characteristic square 20 ml bottle sits securely in the hand and can be refilled right down to the last drop.
• Label stickers included: Small decals with the ink name are included – practical for labelling converters or cartridges.

Use & Tips

• Nib width: In fine nibs (F, EF), Yodaki displays an even, dark rust red without much shading – ideal for crisp, precise handwriting. From medium width (M) upwards, the gold-green sheen becomes noticeably more pronounced.
• Paper: The sheen is most striking on smooth, calendered paper with good permanence – Tomoe River Paper is an excellent choice. On less calendered paper, the colour remains saturated, with the sheen receding.
• Calligraphy: The ink works well for Western calligraphy with stub nibs: the colour shift between thin and thick strokes creates a natural light-dark contrast, which gains additional depth through the sheen on the glazes.
• Cleaning: Thanks to its dye-based, water-based formula, the ink rinses away easily with lukewarm water – even after extended periods in the fountain pen.
• Not archival: Yodaki is a dye ink without water resistance – unsuitable for documents requiring preservation, but ideal for journalling, correspondence, and creative writing.

For Ink Enthusiasts

Yodaki belongs to the "Tsukiyo no Minamo" subseries within the Shikiori collection – four colours themed around water surfaces in the darkness of different seasons. The name 夜焚 combines the image of a beach fire at high tide with the colour effect: the red deepens with increasing ink coverage, while the gold-green sheen brings in the complementary opposite colour – a physical phenomenon that occurs in dyes with high absorption in the red spectrum. In colour, Yodaki sits between a cool carmine red and a warm brick red, with occasionally perceptible violet and rose undertones depending on light and paper. The low flex tendency and minimal bleeding make the ink also suitable for flex nibs with controlled pressure application.

Technical Specifications