Metallic pigment, pigment dispersion liquid, metallic pigment ink composition, and ink jet recording method

This invention provides a metallic pigment, which can prepare a printed matter having metallic luster, can realize stable printing even in a printer with ink jet nozzles having a nozzle diameter of not more than 30 mum, can eliminate the need to carry out heat treatment and the like, and, thus, can realize ink jet recording without undergoing a limitation on printing media (recording media), an ink composition, and an ink jet recording method. The metallic pigment is a metal foil piece having an average thickness of 30 to 100 mum, having a 50 per cent average particle diameter of not less than 0.5 mum and not more than 4.0 mum, and having such a particle size distribution that the maximum particle diameter is not more than 12 mum. An ink composition containing this metallic pigment and an ink jet head having a nozzle diameter of not more than 30 mum are provided, and the ratio between the average particle diameter of the metallic pigment and the nozzle diameter of the ink jet head (average particle diameter/nozzle diameter) is preferably brought to not more than 0.15.