We’re in that stage of fall here in upstate New York where the foliage is on its way to vibrant, and homes are decorated with pumpkins and richly colored mums, so I’ve followed suit by filling pens with inks in bright autumnal hues, which is to say I’ve got a lot of oranges going on right now.
This nearly full bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku ina-ho was included in the Week #38 bundle of ink that I unwrapped a couple of weekends ago. I’m typically inking my pens with heavily saturated colors and ina-ho is certainly not that. But I really appreciate the way it represents the subtler colors of fall.
The ink’s name translates to “rice ear” and if you Google “rice ear,” you’ll see that it’s pretty much a dead ringer. There’s no rice growing in my neighborhood, but I found a local match in the dried cornstalks in our community garden when I was up there this afternoon. New York’s equivalent of “rice ear”? I think so.
I’ve been journaling with ina-ho in the “flamed” Diplomat Aero (also fall-appropriate) with a delightfully smooth broad steel nib, and I think they make a fine pair. A bit of shading. Fall-like in an understated way, and a nice change from all of those saturated inks, as well as a leap outside of my beloved blue comfort zone.
As I poked around online while writing this post, I learned that Pilot discontinued the ina-ho color in February of 2022, which makes me love the color a little bit more.
There’s something to be said for subtle, isn’t there?