OK, I see we have brand related forums. We have ink forum. We have forum for vintage pens. But where are the Japanese pen forums? I can understand you don't want to have a forum for each and every single brands, but how about a "Japanese Pens" forum or a generic "Maki-e forum"? Art is art and we can all appreicate them whether we can afford them or not. So, Admins, what do you say?? Good or bad idea?? would love to hear your and everyone's thoughts on this. TIA.

Now, on to new Maki-e. Since this is really not a sale post, not sure if it belong here or the Market board. I'll let the Admins decide. Thanks.

This is Danitrio's latest 4 seasons Maki-e based on the large Mikado ED size pens. Unlike most 4 seasons by other makers which concentrated more on "scenery", the set is actually based on an ancient Japanese tex called the "Ise Monogatari" or (Tales of Ise). The original author of the book is unknown and was written in form of collecitons of poems. The work is older than the well known Tales of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Enjoy my humble offering of pics. As with most Maki-e, they are much better in Person.

The Spring


Here the court nobles having a cherry blossom viewing party. Notice the detail work of the court attire and the utencils they use. Cherry blossom viewing is a centrury old tradition for Japanese.


I think the raden inlay is a nice touch


The Summer


The flowers are done with touch of abalone inlay




Autumn!


Detail of the hen and rooster


Winter


notice the snow flakes are made of silver flakes that are cut down to the same size.




Enjoy the pics

Kev

Yesh, I do REALLY enjoy these photos

I especially love Spring and Winter ones. I do agree with you, FPN needs a Japanese pens sub-forums urushi/maki-e specializing would be a plus.

I love beautiful arts like ones made on these pens!!

Doctor diagnosed today "Winedoc Syndrome" with strrrongg Maki-e effect

BTW... which cammera and lens are you using???

Beautiful pens! hard to decide which one's the best, i think i like the sping and winter the most

Winter! Without a shred of a doubt...

Very funny!!

The camera is acutally a cheap Sony SD85 or something like that (can't get all the model numbers straight).

I do have a Nikon D70 which I am still experimenting with it. With the lense on, it is too big for the light tent I am using. Time to get a bigger light tent.

Kev

So, we have 2 votes for springs and 3 votes for winter.

Kev

Winter for me (as if I had the money), and I too think we should have a Japanese Pen Forum section!

I really like the inlays in the Summer, but I'd have to go with the Winter also. Great pictures!

What beautiful pieces of art.
I like the winter best

thank you for sharing

Yuch!

Winter!! I think they are beautiful.

Yuch? You can't be serious. Oh well that just means more pens for ME!

I think we should make poll about how cruel a person Kevin is. He's presenting us again and again all those beauties from Japan, but we still can't afford them and drool hopelessly. That's abuse! Isn't there a law for that over there in the States? Against indecent pen pictures presented to a defenseless crowd of enthusiasts? Some kind of Maki-e-prevention-Law?

Oh, well, I like them all

Great pics. My vote is for the Winter also.

Bob

while I can understand Maki-e is not everyone's cup of tea, but I am sure you can at least appreciate the fact that Maki-e done in traditional method is a dying art because of years of training and life long dedication it takes. Like most traditional crafts we are seeing less and less younger folks putting their time into it when they can make a few bucks faster doing something else. Not to mention many maki-e are being replaced with cheap silk screened method.

I don't like Dali's paintings, but can certainly appreciate what he tried to convey... well, at least I try not to go yuch!

Those pens are so beautiful Kev. I`ve tamed the beast for now that says I have to buy, buy, buy, and now I can relax and enjoy those wonderful pictures.
My favourites are actually Autumn and Winter.
Oh, and when I start I go and fondle my Tamenuri Mikado and my Kara-nuri. and my Bani-e.
Btw, I am always surprised when I pick up my Mikado that it writes so well. 9
It`s such a functional work of art

Glad the Mikado is serving you well. Tamenuri remains one of my favorite finish too.

Kevin

Put me in the Winter camp, but all of those are just amazing! Motivation to stay in school .


Like Karin, I'm gonna go play with my raw Mikado.

Winter, definitely.

A Japanese pen forum is a great idea.

There are certain "arts" that I would not mind seeing "die out".

That being said, if you had posted a picture of an Esterbrook and started expounding on its beauty I would have said the same thing.

Chickens on my fountain pen? I don't think so.

PS If the only allowed responses on a forum is" "WOW, That's the prettiest thing I have ever seen in my whole life!" than I say Good-Bye now. If I post saying "That's the prettiest thing I have ever seen in my whole life!" then I had better expect someone to respond "That's the BUTT UGLIEST thing I have ever seen in my whole life!"

Never said you have to agree nor only compliments are allowed. But explanation why you don't like it is certainly better than a "yuch". As adults we can certainly agree to disagree. One more reasons we should have a forum for it, so that anyone not interested can just bypass them all together, much like I bypass subforums that do not interest me.

one for each season.

I like the Autumn and Winter ones, or at least elements of those. Personally I don't like seeing people on the pens. Maybe it's coming from a farming family, but I like the Chickens on the Autumn pen

Winedoc - thanks for the magnificent photographs.

I new to this, but I think a Japanese Pen Forum would be a wonderful idea. The VP seems to be one of the most owned and talked pens on the Forum, the Nakayas and Danitrios are immensely desireable and fun to look at and talk about, then there are Murexes... And in a few months, when I really know what I want from a nib, I suspect that I'll pick up a Sailor (sorry... I'm English, I can't help these sort of puns). Seriously, Sailor do seem to have a reputation for making extraordinarily fine writers.

It seems unfair for all these sources of fascination to lack even a shared forum.

Do you really want me to explicetly point out what I don't like about these pens?

And Opera is a age old art form that takes years of training and practise to do well, but I don't care because I don't like opera either.
Is you asked me I would give you a on that too.
And since this is MHO, I don't have to justify or explain HMOs.

Suffice it to say les goûts et les couleurs ne se disctutent pas.

Glenn - you are certainly entitled you your opinion and we welcome it. I think people are reacting more to the abruptness and (do I dare say?) hostility in your response. I don't know if you meant it that way, but that's how it comes off. A statement such as "I really don't like Makie-e" or something like that would have been recieved as your opinion, and not an attack on other people's taste.

Yes... my vote would be for winter also, I'm not all that different!

Your Sony is working very well indeed, it's lens has a very nice definition. I am now experimenting with my D70 and a light tent which I built of about 60cm in each of the cube sides and 3 light sources (I use only two 90% of the time plus reflectors). This allows me to experiment quite freely also with backgrounds, including the neighbour's cat; it will fit also in there

Whoa!
1) I never attacked anyone else's taste.
2) DrPJM1 in the response immediately before me was -ing as did NG-Huy
3) While others were using terms like "beautiful" and "love".

Of the "Smilies" available I used the one that best expressed my opinion.
If it differs from others, that's OK, but I won't change my opinion just to make them feel better in what they like.

What an incredibly beautiful pen! It's hard not to fall in love with such a great work of art like this one.