Four grey inks

Tariffs have decimated my ordering from abroad. I’m trying to avoid tariffs. But when Lisa of Olive Octopus Ink wrote about Ka-ku, a new line of inks she found at the M. Lovewell table at the California Pen Show last year, I was intrigued. I’ve ordered from M. Lovewell once in the past, and had a great experience, but it’s not a website I check often. They did have Ka-ku inks, but everything I was interested in was sold out. A few weeks later, my friend Josh told me that Taccia came out with a new ink line in the Ukiyo-e series, the Utagawa Kuniyoshi. It is not yet available stateside and all I knew about the series is that the boxes had fantastical and whimsical designs, including a giant skeleton, dragons, and cats. Dino-Writes, a store in Singapore, had it all. So I took a risk, tariffs and all, and ordered a box.

Inks from this big order: Taccia Budounezu, aka “derp demon cat,” Taccia Kuromurasaki, aka “gigantic skeleton,” Ka-Ku Black Jade, Ka-Ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze.

To date, this has been the biggest ink order I’ve placed during my years in the hobby. I got six bottles and two samples. Out of these, standouts for me so far have been the four greys: Taccia Budounezu, Ka-ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze, Ka-ku Black Jade, a shimmer ink, and Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow, which I ordered on a whim. I’ve been on a grey ink kick lately, and there weren’t many grey inks in my collection before 2025 - now I can’t say that anymore!

Four inks swatched on Col-o-ring cards, left to right: Taccia Budonezou, Ka-ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze, Ka-ku Black Jade, and Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow.

A look at the four inks in my Plotter, top to bottom: Taccia Budonezou, Ka-ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze, Ka-ku Black Jade, and Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow.

Taccia Budounezu: since I was looking at the new Taccia line on Japanese and Singaporean websites, I wasn’t sure about their English product names. I called this one the Derp Demon Cat. The box depicts the Utagawa Kuniyoshi woodblock print “The origin of the cat stone from the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.” The cat, well. I love the cat. The box also has some two-tailed cats dancing. On the Dino-Writes website, this ink is titled “Grape rat.” I could not see a rat, but I got it anyway. When the ink arrived, it had a little insert with the English product name tucked in: budounezu, which helped me figure out the mystery of the rat. Budo - grape, and nezu is dark grey (like in Ainezu, indigo-grey); this ink is grape-grey. However, nezu could also translate as “rat,” hence “grape rat.” There is no rat. Note to sellers: check your machine translation with a native speaker and the rat can be avoided.

This cat, I swear. Stunned person on the left appears to demonstrate size. and once again: definitely CAT

So how is the color? Well, it’s lovely. In swabs it’s more purple than rat. In inking with an EF Aurora nib, it’s a pretty grey with reddish purple sensibility. I like it a lot. Like all Taccia inks I’ve tried, this one is well lubricated, with a good flow. I’m pleased with it, definitely a keeper.

A close-up of Taccia Budounezu on Col-o-Ring

Ka-ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze. I have never tried a Ka-ku or an Ink Mazeru ink and only have a vague idea about these Japanese companies and their collabs, but I’m in trouble. I think this gray is beyond gorgeous. I inked it in a pen I have on loan from Josh - the beautiful Montegrappa Extra Shiny Circles in F. I adore this ink and am already concerned that the bottle is only 18ml in size. The flow and lubrication are great. A delightful addition to my ink library.

A close-up of Ka-Ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze on Col-o-Ring

Ka-ku Black Jade is described as having red glitter. I’m still on the lookout for the mysterious red glitter -- perhaps it’s another case of the rat. I’d describe the shimmer as champagne, an elegant, subdued layer of sparkle over a black-gray base, lending this ink a feeling of brocade. I adore it. I’ve inked it in my Leo Viola with a Franklin Christoph BB SIG. It’s well behaved after four days of usage, although the BB nib is generous, so your mileage may vary with a different nib. I think this ink is gorgeous. The mood reminds me of J. Herbin Gris Orage, which I do not have but which is quite different and reads darker - I prefer this one.

A close-up of my swatch of Ka-Ku Black Jade on Col-o-Ring

As a bonus, I also picked up a sample of Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow. While Taccia was familiar territory and I’ve at least investigated Ka-ku, Arcus Artisan was a complete unknown. It’s a Philippine brand. When the order arrived and I swatched the inks, I immediately regretted not getting a bottle. This ink in large swatches is superb - there’s a teal-blue-slate undertone to it, it’s just a fantastically complex and subtle ink. However, after I inked it in the Onoto Sequoyah, I figured out that this was a pigmented ink. Ack! I avoid pigmented inks, they are hard to clean out of pens and I would not put a new to me pigmented ink into a pen if I knew that. Well, it’s well behaved so far, although I did not try to clean it yet. I still wish it wasn’t pigmented.

A close-up of Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow on Col-o-Ring

I loved these inks. If I had to choose just one, I’d be deciding between the two Ka-ku offerings. I want more of these inks. I had a good experience ordering from Dino-Writes. I am not affiliated with them, I’m spending my own money on my own colored water.

Another look at the four inks in my Plotter, top to bottom: Taccia Budonezou, Ka-ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze, Ka-ku Black Jade, and Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow.

Once again showing four swatches on Col-o-Ring, this time with the lovely pens I used. Two on the left are on loan from a friend, two on the right are mine.