Sailor - King of Pen Tamenuri Fountain Pen - Kuro-beni

Sailor - King of Pen Tamenuri Fountain Pen - Kuro-beni is a limited edition run of 120 pens in Sailor's Bespoke lineup. Tamenuri refers to the ancient traditional Urushi technique, while the pen's name ‘Kuro-beni’ refers to the reddish black or blackish red color. Unlike regular solid Urushi, the Tamenuri technique utilizes a layering technique where a translucent "suki urushi" is applied over a solid base color, creating a unique appearance where the base color shines through. In Japan, Kuro-beni was a common color used as a base for expensive short-sleeved kimonos (called Kosode) in the early Edo period. This Kuro-beni color is also cited in the novel "Yorozu no Fumi Hougu" by Ihara Saikaku, a famous writer of the Edo period.

The Kuro-beni Tamenuri artist, Kosyu Nishihara, has hand-painted his signature and serial numbers on each barrel. Each Sailor Kuro-beni Tamenuri fountain pen comes housed in a beautifully crafted Cashew coated wood box, painted with the series name.

The base of the pen is Ebonite, a special material made of vulcanized rubber (rubber hardened by treatment with sulfur). Ebonite is extremely lightweight, durable, and chemical-resistant, making it a great base to hold the many layers of Urushi lacquer on the pen.

Urushi laquer is made from the sap of the Urushi Tree which takes 15 years to mature and can only be found in Eastern Asia. Due to its natural origins and lengthy maturation times, Urushi is a very limited and highly coveted lacquer material. It must be applied layer by layer to allow proper curing and setting time for each layer, which can take up to two months. Once finished, Urushi will be waterproof and resistant to most environmental conditions, making Urushi fountain pens shiny, durable, and able to stand the test of time.

• Nib: KOP 21K Solid Gold with Gold Plating
• Material: Ebonite and Tamenuri Urushi lacquer
• Dimensions: φ20mm x 153.5mm
• Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter (Sailor proprietary) 
• Gift Box: Cashew coated wood box
• Contents: 1 Converter, 1 cleaning cloth, 2 ink cartridges (black), an instruction manual, a product manual and a warranty card.
• Release date: December 2024
• More Sailor Bespoke Pens

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 1970's, 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.

The 1911 offers a great balance and a smooth writing experience. The pen writes with a slight but satisfying feedback and it fits perfectly in the hand.

Dimensions:

• Diameter: 18.7 mm 
• Length: 151.6 mm
• Weight 31.9 g