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Maruzen

Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki

Purples#551DA7

Maruzen is one of the 713 brands in Inktend's built-in ink catalog.

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Specs

Color familyPurples
Approx. hex#551DA7
SheenNot typically noted
BrandMaruzen

Paper & pairing

Purples sit at the boundary of professional and playful, one of the more personality-forward choices that still reads clearly on the page. This ink will behave predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Cheap, highly absorbent paper (standard copier paper) will dull any ink's saturation and can cause feathering or bleed-through with wetter nibs.

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About Maruzen

Maruzen is a Japanese bookseller and trading company founded in 1869 that played a key role in introducing Western goods, including fountain pens, to Japan, becoming distributor for Onoto in 1907 and Waterman in 1911. In 1915 it launched its own Athena pen brand, which remains its house line, with modern Athena pens made for Maruzen by Pilot.

Japan Founded 1869
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Storing and using the bottle

Bottled fountain pen ink has an effectively long shelf life when kept capped and out of direct sunlight: most inks remain usable for years. The main risk isn't the ink spoiling, it's a pen sitting inked and unused for weeks: that's what causes clogs, not the ink's age.

Frequently asked questions

What color family is Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki?
Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki falls into Inktend's purples family based on its typical swatch color.
Does Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki have sheen?
Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki is not typically noted for sheen. If you want that effect, browse similarly colored inks tagged with sheen in the ink library.
How should I store a bottle of Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki?
Years, easily, as long as it stays capped and out of direct sunlight. The thing that actually shortens an ink's usable life is sitting unused inside a pen, not sitting on a shelf.
What paper works best with Athena - Nihombashi Murasaki?
It behaves predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Stick to something reasonably absorbent-resistant, since cheap copier paper dulls saturation and can feather.

Similar shades By colour distance

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Purple
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Diamine
Violet
Bril

Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.