For a color with a name as well-defined as Blue Black, the actual shade on the page is difficult to define. As a superfan of the color, I tend to classify many different shades as Blue Black. From basic Navy, to Grey-infused colors, to brighter Blues with a hint of Black - and that’s just for starters. The range of Blue Black inks is practically endless.
So, is Taccia Hiroshige Ainezu a Blue Black ink? For me, yes.
Ainezu has been out for several years, but only recently did I acquire a bottle. And that was only after I was sent an envelope full of ink swatches from a friend, where Ainezu jumped off the page. In fact, this envelope cost me three bottles of ink so far. Thanks Lisa - I think?
What did I see that made me want to add it to my collection? On the page it looked like Blue Black, but weirder. It’s a bit hard to explain, which made me want it even more. There is definitely a healthy dose of Grey, and maybe a hint of Teal that doesn’t show up in pictures and may simply be a figment of my imagination. Ainezu is certainly not straightforward, but remains simple.
Looking at my lettering with an Architect grind in my Skogsy Pens Cholla Micarta, the ink looks Grey in pictures, but leans more Blue in person. To see if I was crazy thinking there was Teal, I swabbed Ainzeu next to Graf von Faber-Castell Deep Sea Green on Tomoe River 52 gsm paper. There is maybe a hint if you look closely.
Is it closer to the Navy of DeAtrementis Benjamin Franklin? Ainezu makes it look bright, but not as bright as Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai. I love Shin-Kai for its character on the page, but it’s not the dictionary definition of Blue Black that I have in my head. LAMY Blue Black is close my platonic ideal of a Blue Black, especially one that is dark enough, and Grey enough. Is Ainzeu a combination of Deep Sea Green and LAMY Blue Black?
Maybe Ainezu is just Ainzeu, and that is good enough. I’ve only tried a few Taccia inks so far, and they have all been great performers. Ainzeu is no exception. My Broad Steel Jowo #6 Architect nib is not the most ink-friendly of nibs, but I had perfect flow and color with Ainzeu from start to finish. I will say their is not a lot of shading with this setup and my handwriting style, but I bet there would be more opportunity with a different nib.
I’ll try a standard nib the next time I ink up Ainezu, because there will be many next times. I’ll likely pick up more Taccia inks, too. At $20 for 40 ml in the Ukiuo-e Series, they are priced well enough to add some of the other unique shades in this set.
(Pen Chalet provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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