Graf von Faber-Castell - Yozakura

Graf von Faber-Castell - Yozakura - ink drop

This is Yozakura from Graf von Faber-Castell. For millennia, taking time to enjoy the transient beauty of the blossoming sakura, or cherry blossoms has been a traditional custom in Japan, and surrounding countries. During the day, this is called hanami in Japanese. In some parks and castles, lanterns are hung to illuminate the blossoms, and allow people to enjoy yozakura (night cherry blossoms). This is a beautiful, poetic name that is fitting for such a lovely ink.

Graf von Faber-Castell - Yozakura - color palette

This is a soft, delicate, gentle ink. It’s a powdery red-pink, and a moderate to strong shading ink. The dark areas work well with the night aspect of the name and beautifully contrast the light areas. Together, they provide the blending of pinks and whites that match the auspicious blossoms well. It brings back vivid memories of my street in Busan, Korea, lined with blushing cherry blossom trees, and the neighborhood awash with their beautiful petals.

Graf von Faber-Castell - Yozakura - shades

This is a very nice writing ink, but the color requires a medium nib or larger, in my opinion. Any smaller, and it becomes difficult to comfortably read. It’s neither wet, nor dry, but flows well on the page. Surprisingly, it’s quite water-resistant, too, and that’s something I didn’t expect! Strokes were clean on all six test papers, but shading is much more prominent on coated premiums. There’s a mild halo on premiums, as well, and that adds to the sharp profile. Drying was very quick at 10-15 seconds on premiums, and under 5 seconds on office copy.

Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura - ink swatch card

Graf von Faber-Castell makes wonderful inks, but Yozakura requires the right pairing of nib and paper to really get the most out of it. When you get it right, it really rewards you. These aren’t inexpensive inks at around US$32, but the bottles are a huge 75ml. If that’s not a problem, this gentle red pink is quite beautiful, and unlike the blossoms, you can enjoy it all year long!