Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi is a charcoal black, or slightly off-black, fountain pen ink in the Iroshizuku line of luxury inks.
Iroshizuku Take-sumi is sold in both 50 ml glass bottles and in a 15 ml glass bottle that is part of a 3-color ink set, alongside Kon-peki and Tsuki-yo.
Take-sumi is one of the most popular inks in the extensive (over 20 colors) family of Iroshizuku fountain pen inks. And this is understandable because it’s the darkest black ink in the line, as well as the only one without a hint of another color in it.
This ink isn’t a pure black, but it’s on the spectrum of grey to black it’s much more leaning to a black. It is not as dark as, say, Noodlers’ Heart of Darkness or Sailor’s Kiwa-guro.
Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi Ink Review
Pilot’s Take-sumi is a very good black ink. Being part of the Iroshizuku line means it’s a great choice for almost all situations, as this is an excellent set of fountain pen inks — they are all, without fail, consistent, reliable, have a great flow, and easy to clean.
Take-sumi specifically is one of the least exciting ink ink the Iroshizuku set. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that the family has a number of great colors in it, with some really nice shades of popular blues and greens, but Take-sumi is a fairly standard black. Yes, there is some shading and possibly even a little sheen if you look closely, but past that it’s a normal charcoal black.
Some would say that fact that it’s a charcoal black is enough to set it apart from Pilot’s normal black, and while that’s a reasonable take, the Take-sumi really isn’t too far off from a standard Pilot, Sailor, or Platinum blank ink cartridge.
But being a bit dull is completely excusable for a black ink, in fact it can be a good thing because that means this ink is acceptable for professional and office use. In fact, Take-sumi is one my most used ink — when I need a day-to-day black ink but want something a bit more fun than a Kiwa-guro or carbon black, this is my go to.
This ink has a nice flow in all my pens and it’s super easy to clean. It doesn’t have as much shading as most of the Iroshizuku family, but that’s not something I’m looking for ink a work ink. It is relatively quick to dry too, which is a bonus. On most fountain pen-friendly papers this ink will dry in a medium, but not short duration.
Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi Alternatives
The closest ink in my collection to this color is Diamine’s Onyx Black.
Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Pilot |
| Ink Color | Black |
| Secondary Color | Grey |
| Bottle Size | 50 ml |
| Waterproof | No |
| Archival | Yes |
| Quick-drying | No |
| Tamper-proof | No |
| Fluorescent | No |
| Lubricated | No |
| Cartridge | No |
| Similar To | |