Sailor Shikiori Shigure 20 ml Fountain Pen Ink
The Sailor Shikiori Shigure 20 ml Fountain Pen Ink belongs to Sailor's Shikiori collection, a series inspired by the landscapes, sounds, and emotions associated with Japan's changing seasons. Shigure (時雨) is one of the colours inspired by winter and features a rich blue-violet tone that evokes the changing skies and atmospheric rains of late autumn and early winter.
The Shikiori Collection
The changing seasons have inspired Japanese poetry, painting, and literature for centuries. Through the Shikiori collection, Sailor transforms these seasonal scenes into colours designed to enrich everyday writing. Each ink captures a particular moment in nature, inviting writers to experience the atmosphere and emotions associated with a specific time of year.
Rather than simply reproducing colours found in the landscape, Shikiori inks seek to express the mood and beauty of seasonal transitions.
Shigure and the Rain that Announces Winter
The Japanese word shigure (時雨) refers to the brief showers that appear unexpectedly between late autumn and early winter. These passing rains occupy a special place in Japanese literature, where they often symbolize the arrival of colder days and the changing of the seasons.
Sailor's official inspiration for this colour is:
A sudden nighttime rainfall, as if to tell us that winter is coming.
The scene evokes a quiet evening interrupted by a sudden shower, creating a moment of reflection and anticipation. Shigure's colour captures this atmosphere through a sophisticated blend of deep violet and blue tones reminiscent of rain clouds, twilight skies, and winter evenings.
Shigure belongs to the winter-inspired colours within the Shikiori collection and is particularly appreciated for its elegant balance between blue and purple, making it both distinctive and highly practical for daily writing.
An Elegant Colour for Everyday Writing
Sailor's formulation provides smooth flow and reliable performance, allowing the subtle depth of the colour to be fully appreciated. Its excellent readability makes it suitable for journals, correspondence, note-taking, and professional writing while offering a more expressive alternative to traditional blue or black inks.
The compact 20 ml bottle also makes it easy to explore the wider Shikiori collection and discover other colours inspired by the seasons of Japan.
Shigure is also available as Sailor Shikiori ink cartridges, which can be found in our Sailor Shikiori cartridge collection.
Matching colours are also available in Sailor's Shikiori marker range, which you can explore in our Sailor Shikiori marker collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Shigure mean?
It is the Japanese term for the brief showers that occur between late autumn and early winter.
What colour is this ink?
It combines deep violet and dark blue tones that can show subtle variation depending on the paper and nib used.
Is it suitable for fountain pens?
Yes. It is formulated specifically for fountain pens and can also be used with dip pens.
Is it available in cartridges?
Yes. Sailor offers this colour in both bottled ink and cartridge formats.
Package Contents
20 ml Sailor Shikiori glass ink bottle with official Sailor packaging. (Product photographs are for illustrative purposes only and slight variations may exist between the images and the actual product.)
Technical Specifications
• Volume: 20 ml
• Ink type: water-based fountain pen ink
• Collection: Sailor Shikiori
• Colour: blue-violet inspired by late autumn and early winter rain showers
• Compatible with fountain pens and dip pens
• Glass bottle
• Made in Japan
History and Philosophy of Sailor
Founded in Hiroshima in 1911, Sailor has developed some of the world's most respected Japanese fountain pen inks. The Shikiori collection reflects the close relationship between writing, nature, and seasonality that characterises much of Japanese aesthetics, transforming seasonal scenes into colours that enrich everyday writing.
"Some rain showers last only a few minutes, yet they can announce the arrival of an entirely new season."
