Platinum's Kanazawa-Haku collection of fountain pens utilizes ancient gold leaf art techniques preserved and passed down from generation to generation in the city of Kanazawa. Gold leaf pieces are extracted by taking single sheets of gold leaf foil, extending them out and tearing them to smaller pieces. These tiny pieces of gold leaf are then pasted together and applied to different surfaces. The result of this painstaking process is a beautiful surface that lusters and shines with great depth and intensity. As a result of the process, each fountain pen in the Kanazawa-Haku series is truly one of a kind as no two pieces of hand-torn gold foil are alike.
The motifs captured in the Matsu-Tora fountain pen are that of a Tiger on the barrel and a Pine Tree on the cap. The tiger has been painted on the barrel and chosen because of its significance in Japanese culture as a representation of wealth, status and posterity. The depiction on the barrel is by Okyo Maruyama, a Japanese artist from the Edo period. The image of the Pine Tree was chosen as a motif due to its resilience in the winter since it retains its foliage during the winter months.
As you run your fingers down the pen barrel and cap, the gold surface where the gold leaf has been applied is smooth to the touch, and the painted motifs of the tiger and the pine tree are beautifully textured.
- Nib: 14k gold
- Length: 5.5 in (14 cm)
- PNB-35000H #55
- Gold trim
- Slip & seal mechanism
- Platinum cartridge and converter included
- Replacement cartridges available
About Platinum & 3776:
Originally released in 1978, Platinum 3776, is one of Platinum's iconic pen series and over the years, Platinum has added many colors as well as limited and special editions to the 3776 line. 3776 stands for the height of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain and when it was first released in 1978, it was awarded the "Good Design Prize" by the Japanese government. In 2011, the "Century 3776" series was released in honor of the approaching 100th anniversary of Platinum and was designed to maintain the quality standards defined by the original 3776 combined with the needs of a modern fountain pen user: new sleek design, comfortable writing balance, and smooth flow. Century 3776 employs Platinum's own "Slip and Seal Mechanism" that employs a spring in the cap to force an air tight closure around the nib, thus preventing ink from drying out in this fountain pen for up to a year.