Ink Review: Yoseka x Ink Institute No. 1 Origin Ink

On a recent trawl through the Yoseka website, I saw something I had missed before: that they have their own ink! I eagerly ordered a bottle of it.

Yoseka x Ink Institute No. 1 Origin Ink (30 mL, $18.00) was created as part of the Origins series to honor the origins of Yoseka Stationery. Green was the original color of the logo and the store when it opened in the 1980’s, so it felt like the right place to start in honoring the its origins. Yoseka has created both the ink, and a Sailor fountain pen (which is sadly sold out right now).

No. 1 Origin is a deep, dark forest green. It goes down bright when it is wet, and slowly shades darker as it dries. I found the ink had some shading, but no sheen or shimmer. I saw someone else commented in the reviews that in heavy applications the ink sheened red, but I didn’t get that even in my heavier ink droplets.

In terms of comparisons, No. 1 Origin is similar in saturation to Colorverse Alpha Centuari, although I think Alpha Centauri leans a bit yellower in comparison. It is also pretty close to PenBBS #177, although without the shimmer.

Yoseka created in the ink in collaboration with Ink Institute, a Taiwanese company.

The ink went down easily and dried quickly, a bonus for someone who smears ink more often than she would like. The only drawback is that it’s not water resistant. However, I really love the color and think it’s a nice ink to have added to the collection.

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• Papers: Write Notepads Dot Grid Steno ($14), Crossfield Journal ($24.00)
• Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Ink: Yoseka x Ink Institute No. 1 Origin Ink (30 mL, $18.00)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.