Hachimonjiya à la car-do Sleeping Swan - 4ml Fountain Pen Ink Sample

Hue: A clear teal leaning turquoise-green, mid-toned in writing and pooling to a deep blue-green, almost blackened teal, where it sits heavy. Hachimonjiya don’t give an official colour description; the packaging artwork is a soft mint, but my swatches read noticeably deeper and bluer than the box suggests.

Shading: Good. Light-to-dark variation shows clearly in the swab bar and in ordinary handwriting, with darker edges where ink collects.

Sheen: None seen in my swatches.

Shimmer: Yes, it’s a shimmer ink. Fine silver-white shimmer with pink and gold-green flashes when it catches the light. It shows best in wetter lines and pools, and more subtly in handwriting. Give the vial a gentle roll before filling.

Flow: Medium

The interesting bit: The Japanese name, Hakuchō no Utatane, means “the swan’s doze”, the light nap you drift into without meaning to. The box shows exactly that, a swan asleep on a little green cushion among flowers. It’s a collaboration between Hachimonjiya and the illustrator à la car-do, made for their “Futari SHOP” pop-up at Hachimonjiya’s flagship store. The full bottle is dressed as a jam jar, with a gingham cloth cap tied with cord, as a companion to her “Kirameki” Jam series.

This is a hand-decanted 4ml sample vial from my own bottle.
Photos are my own swatches on Tomoe River Paper.
I’m a collector and I’m always happy to talk ink, so please message me if you have any questions.