The present invention provides a black ink composition comprising (1) water, (2) carbon black, and (3) a fine particle emulsion, wherein (A) the content of said carbon black is less than 0.4 wt %, and wherein (B) the solid content of said fine particle emulsion is 20 times or more the content of said carbon black. Also disclosed are an ink set comprising the black ink composition, a recording method using the ink set, and recorded matter obtained by the method.