Sailor Wabi Sabi I Fountain Pen - Red - Limited Edition. This pen, from Sailor's first Wabi Sabi series, features a deep red body with lighter, metallic red details, a raised, organic-feeling texture, and a glossy finish.
"Wabi-sabi" is a traditional Japanese concept that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity; aging and wear are seen as signs of the cycle of life. Wabi-sabi aesthetics often incorporate a natural, rough, asymmetric, and unconventional designs.
Sailor's Wabi Sabi fountain pens feature a large King of Pen–size body and 21k gold nib; the barrels are made of ebonite, which is lightweight yet durable and warms to the touch. The unique finish is created using a technique called Irogasane Sabinuri, created by urushi artist Wayo Shimamori; it involves the application of urushi lacquer along with polishing powder to build up a textured, organic surface. Finally, various layers of colored lacquer and metallic powder are applied to complete the design. (Note that these pens are designed not to be posted to protect the Sabinuri urushi lacquer.)
Each Sailor Wabi Sabi fountain pen is limited to 88 pieces worldwide.
- 21k Gold, King of Pen size nib
- Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/converter (Sailor proprietary)
- Comes with a converter and a cartridge
- Comes packaged in a Paulownia wood box with a fabric pen case
- More Sailor Wabi Sabi
Dimensions:
- Length (capped): 15.4cm
- Diameter: 2.0cm
Sailor was founded in 1911. The founder Kyugoro Sakata was given a fountain pen by a friend returning from the UK after studying at the Royal Navy. He was inspired and determined to start making fountain pens in Japan. Sailor became the first fountain pen company in Japan, and earned many more firsts in Japan—first ballpoint pen in 1948, first ink cartridge in 1954 and first brush pen in 1972, etc.
In the 1970s, Sailor made a popular beginner fountain pen, "Candy," that sold more than 15 million within a few years. However, the number of the fountain pen users were declining as ballpoint pens became more mainstream.
In 1981, Sailor decided to go in the opposite direction from their "Candy" pen and began focusing on producing a higher standard series, which is the 1911 series we see today. Their focus on making a higher standard provides a great foundation for their later series of pens. Today, Sailor makes one of the most diverse lines of nibs, some of which are designed for specific writing purposes such as writing musical notes to one that is best for character writing.