Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Bengara - 4ml Fountain Pen Ink Sample

Hue: Sold as "red ochre", but my swatches are browner and deeper than that name suggests. In writing it is a warm brick to rust brown. Where the ink pools it goes very dark, almost black-chocolate, with orange-rust edges.

Shading: Yes, clearly visible in handwriting. It moves from a light rust in thin strokes to a deep brown where the ink collects.

Sheen: A subtle dark sheen appears only in heavily pooled areas. I saw none in normal writing.

Shimmer: None.

Flow: Medium

The interesting bit: Bengara is the Japanese name for red iron-oxide pigment. The word is usually traced to Bengal, the region it was historically imported from. The same earth red was used in Edo-period woodblock prints and to colour timber buildings. This ink is from Taccia's fourth Ukiyo-e release, launched in Japan in spring 2026. It is one of eight colours drawn from Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, and its colour was supervised by colour consultant Hanae Matsumoto.

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.