Kevin (winedoc) sold a basho frog haiku prototype Danitrio on ebay a while back and I have been kicking myself ever since. Did anyone here buy it?

I might settle for some other frog pen, but I really need to find out who has it so that I can plead with them or at least se a picture again.

Thanks.

Why don't you PM Kevin and ask him about it?

I did. He sold the only one he had. But I didn't want him ot have to provide a customer name. It seemed like an imposition on him. I am hoping the buyer lurks here. Also hoping someone else has something similar they might want to offload.

Well, if you do not want him to provide you with the name, surely he has the name of his customer. Perhaps you could ask him to contact the buyer and make an offer he/she can't refuse.

Did it look like this? I think the design is not limited to just one pen...

No, I have seen this pen before, though never on sale. It had the haiku on the barrel and was darker.

I'll contact the buyer for you and see... so you don't have to keep on kicking yourself :-)

I still have the photos at home computer, I'll post some for you when I get home.

Best,

kevin

and this is why we all like doing business with Kevin...

Wow. I had an idea for a custom Nakaya based on that haiku. Clearly I am not as original or clever as I thought :-)

I, too, would love to see pics.

I developed a physics application 3 years ago. I worked on it for about 2.5 years until a friend of mine plunked a paper on my desk that had the exact same formulas..and was published in Poland one year before I got my idea. Even Einstein was beaten to the punch by Bachelier. There is noting new under the Sun.

How do you get a custom Nakaya made?

You can email Nakaya through the link on their 'special order' page. They have lots of pictures of other custom pens. You might also want to check out the tips in Phthalo's review of her custom Nakaya, in the FPN reviews section.

But if you want a custom Nakaya be prepared to pay much for it.


Kurt

Here you go:

The poem would translate to:

"Listen! a frog
Jumping into the stillness
Of an ancient pond!"

I like this translation best:

Old pond
Frog jumps in
Sound of splash

Thanks for the pictures.

古池や蛙飛込む水の音

古池や old pond
蛙飛込む frog flies* in
水の音 water's sound

*The use of fly is not strictly describing things that can sustain their own weight in the air. Anything that moves through the air is "flying." Footballs can fly. Darts can fly. Frogs can fly.

Thanks for the photographs of a stunning pen, Kevin. I can see why the OP wanted to see it again.

I've yet to see an English translation of the haiku that has the same atmosphere as the original Japanese version, but the pen does.

I find Kevin's translation the most enjoyable. The others are a bit blunt... but I guess that was just the style. In any case, the sound of a small frog leaping into water in the stillness of the night... nice imagery.

Yes, thanks for the pictures, Kevin. It is a lovely pen. That one could carry around a piece of art AND and Beautiful Haiku in ones pocket is wonderful. I really, REALLY wish I had bought it the first time around. Ah well, the new Genkai you sold me should soften the pain

Thanks for being such a good sport, Kevin.

Wow! A truly beautiful work of art!

Are these pens still manufactured or available?

The pen sold was a prototype, so only one made as far as I know.

Best,

kevin

So, how will this story end? Will the frog jump into your possession or will the original owner hold him captive?

I await the results of Kevin's inquiry into this matter!

For now the frog remains in Holy Land. sorry, I tried.

Kevin

Well, I am broken hearted. But I have asked David Broadwell to build me a frog pen and I should probably be saving my money for that anyway. It will be a giant and with Roy Covers engraving, I am certain it will make me forget about the lost Basho. Henry Simpole is also making a giant ant pen for me (it's a complexity theory thing.)

The good new is that Keven sold me a Genkai that is just a great pen. It is so big that when I take the section out, I could actually fit my Waterman 58 inside the Genkai. Did you get that: the Genkai is large enough to be the case for the 58. And a lovely, smooth writer. I am growing to love the shutoff on teh ED and the huge ink capacity. A great pen like this takes thesting out of my lost Basho pen. sort of.

I guess Kevin has enough beauty for everybody

Thanks for trying, friend.