Kyo-iro - Moonlight of Higashiyama

Kyo-iro Moonlight of Higashiyama - ink drop

Part of the Kyo-Iro (colors of Kyoto) line, today’s ink, Moonlight of Higashiyama is another from Takeda Jimuki’s Kyoto TAG inks. Higashiyama is both a very popular, traditional neighborhood in old Kyoto, and the name of the hills that border the eastern edge of the city. The name “Moonlight of Higashiyama” refers to the deep, orange-brown glow that bathes over Kyoto and the surrounding hills, when the struggling embers of sunset blend together with the darkness of the waking night. Kyo-Iro Moonlight of Higashiyama matches the color and mood perfectly.

Kyo-iro Moonlight of Higashiyama - color range

Moonlight of Higashiyama is a warm, buttery, powdered terracotta. It’s a beautiful, saturated shading ink. At its lightest, it’s a dusty, faded orange. At its darkest, it dives deep and becomes a rich, brick red brown. The ink splatter shows a luscious silver-black sheen, but this does not come out under normal writing conditions.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely writing ink. There is a dark halo edging that creates strokes that are sharp and well-defined, and a lovely framework that highlights the ink’s rich coloration. Drying time is slightly longer than average, but not long enough to concern. It’s well behaved, and performs beautifully on both Rhodia and Tomoe River papers. Like many inks, it was less successful on cheap office copy paper and feathered badly.

Kyo-iro Moonlight of Higashiyama - ink swatch card

I really like Kyoto TAG inks, in general, and Kyo-iro Moonlight of Higashiyama is one of my favorites (it’s also one of my overall favorite dark oranges). It’s a beautiful ink that combines high-quality writing performance (on premium papers) and experience. It‘s easy to recommend, and I always look forward to trying more from Kyoto TAG.

September 2020