Pilot Namiki Yukari Maki-e Fountain Pen - Turtles

Pilot Namiki Yukari Maki-e Fountain Pen - Turtles.

In Japan, the turtle, due to its long life span, is a symbol of longevity, immortality, and good fortune; here, even the hexagonal patterns on their shells are depicted in intricate detail. The barrel of Namiki Yukari Turtles features two turtles climbing onto a rocky crag jutting out from the water; on the cap, a turtle swims under swirling water, lily pads, and a beautiful golden flower. The many layers of lacquer and charcoal and metal powder allow for incredible nuance and depth.

Namiki Yukari Turtles was made by master maki-e artist Seiki Chida with the highly advanced Togidashi-Taka Maki-e technique (Burnished-Raised Maki-e), also applied in the creation of pens in Namiki's Emperor and Yukari Royale collections. First, Togidashi Maki-e (Burnished Maki-e) is used; the background and scenery are painted with lacquer, which are then sprinkled with gold or silver powder and sealed with Urushi lacquer. After drying, the surface is lightly burnished with charcoal, revealing the design underneath. Then, the main design is further rendered through additional use of materials like lacquer and charcoal powder. Finally, Hira-Maki-e (Flat Maki-e) is used to create the last details with layers of metal powder and lacquer. (The Pilot-Namiki website also provides a fascinating peek into the steps of the process here.)

Namiki's Yukari Collection illustrates natural imagery of the four seasons through various techniques, often in combination, including Togidashi-Taka Maki-e (described above) and Raden. The making of a Maki-e piece is an extremely labor- and time-intensive process involving a repetitive series of applying layers of lacquer, drawing the design outline, sprinkling gold and silver powders to fill in the designs, and polishing to achieve a lustrous surface. The lacquered main design is filled in with the carefully sprinkled gold and silver powders, and then several additional layers of lacquer are applied. Once these layers harden, the surface is polished many times. A finished product can take up to 3 months, and some of the pieces go through the repetitive lacquer-drawing-sprinkling-polishing process up to 130 times. 

• #10 18k two-tone gold nib
• Screw-on closure
• CON-70 converter and blue cartridge included
• Bottle of Namiki blue ink included
• Comes in a velvet-lined wooden box with Namiki branding
• For a close-up and 360-degree view of the motif, feel free to refer to its listing on Pilot-Namiki's website here
• Lifetime warranty under Pilot
• More Pilot/Namiki Fountain Pens
• More from the Namiki Yukari Collection
• Refunds are not accepted on this pen once it has been used with ink. Please carefully inspect the pen upon receipt.