Japanese Pen Brag Page

[stan]

Who says hiramakie is cheap???

 

 

[VivienR]

Got my Sailor 1911L with medium fine nib in black. Its a classic design, which I like, but the nib performance is simply amazing! Filled with Saylor Kobe Sannomiya Panse and how its feels when I write with it? It fells wonderful, like writing with a purple colored breeze... I have a Sapporo, which is also really good, but 1911L's fantastic 21k nib is..

[Moynihan]

...Sailor 1911L with medium fine nib in black. Its a classic design ... but the nib performance is simply amazing! ...

[penomania]

Stan, great pens, love the pre War hard rubber, great colors and look like nice size!!!

[KBeezie]

In order of acquisition.

 

Pilot Long Murex, one of the pens I declared early on as a 'grail' pen, that I didn't think I'd ever get my hands on starting out, managed to get it by sheer luck of a trade (was in exchange for a 60s-ish Sailor pocket pen with a 14K smooth EF).

 

Pilot Long Murex (MR-500SS)

October of 1978

Integrated Steel <F> Fine nib (in between a modern Pilot EF and F for me)

 

An 'upgrade' from the original Myu 701, longer with ribbing on the grip for comfort, and flatted nib shelf to prevent ink from spilling back down the side when filling.

 

http://pens.kbeezie.com/content/public/upload/murexuncapped_0_o.jpg

 

Very easy to disassemble by hand.

http://pens.kbeezie.com/content/public/upload/murexdisassembled_0_o.jpg

 

Followed by :

 

Danitrio Mae West (the shape is now called Hyotan)

18K Factory Stub (a Jowo "T" nib, firm, ebonite feed)

Ebonite body with Recession Style Urushi rubbed on.

 

This one was kind of a mystery to me, I know the Danitrio brand is American but that they use Japanese craftsmen to create, however when I got this in trade I was told it was the "Raw Ebonite" version, but after some emails with Danitrio, who didn't recognize the name "Mae West" at first, determined that the pen itself is probably between 10 to 15 years old because they haven't used the Jowo "T" nibs since around that time (they're now using the Bock "Fireball" Nibs which are fitted with plastic feeds), and they also haven't used the ebonite feeds in a while (which they said cost them around $45 each to have made in Japan). Also they had a Raw Ebonite early on without any lacquer but found that it discolored badly as it aged so recession urushi was used to help preserve the color and protect the pen, and it is rubbed in rather than painted on giving it a sort of matte semi-gloss finish.

 

Still not 100% certain as to all the details, but was my first pen that gave me the Nakaya-esque kind of feeling, like I found something that could be uniquely called Japanese with it's lacquerware/style. (would love a multi-layer Maki-e one, but unless I can barter my way into one, that's not going to happen).

 

http://i.imgur.com/w7Yw9jp.jpg

 

And then I picked up (also in a trade) just this week a Nakaya Piccolo Cigar in Black, with a 14K Fine nib.

 

http://i.imgur.com/0nvHhz3.jpg

 

Which meant the Mae West now has a little sister.

 

http://i.imgur.com/22aUB1N.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Pvn7osc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/aZXmq5f.jpg

 

Other Mentions Japanese Pens I've had but have either been sold or traded :

- Pilot Elite (early 70s), both with an 18K Soft Fine, and 18K Posting Nib

- Pilot Elite (Lady? 80s), 18K Fine, red/coral grip, taupe floral design on cap/barrel.

- Sailor 'Star' Pocket Pen (~1960s), 14K EF, off-white grip, silver/white stars on cap/barrel. (traded towards the Long Murex)

- Platinum Pocket Pen (mid-late 60s), baby blue grip, silverish cap/barrel, sale pending

- And the Moderns (Platinum Century 3776 x3, Pilot Falcon and Metal Falcon, Pilot Metropolitans, 78G, Penmanship, Sailor 1911M, 1911L, Sapporo Red Pearl)

 

Something desired for the future? :

- Pilot Super from the 50s (the sac/twist filler kind before the con-w)

- Nakaya or Danitrio (or similar) in Maki-e or chinkin (long ways off, but one can hope), ie: not screen-printed.

- Celluloid Japanese pen from 50s or before.

[stan]

[pollandakuma]

If you win the pen on /r/fountainpens are you going to share?

A fellow Redditor! Hello!

 

Unfortunately I did not win that Sailor pen.

[Ink Blotto]

A fellow Redditor! Hello!

Unfortunately I did not win that Sailor pen.

Hello /u/, neither did I. It was a challenging contest for certain.

[pollandakuma]

Hello /u/, neither did I. It was a challenging contest for certain.

It's too bad... I really do hope Fm (frenzyman) is gonna do it again, he has a huge collection, haha. I tripped up about the Nagasawa pens.

[tartuffo]

nothing to brag about ; I just like this thread so I thot I'd bump it : )

 

[junlon]

 

tartuffo - Thanks for bumping the tread. Lots of great pens.

 

[jmccarty3]

nothing to brag about ; I just like this thread so I thot I'd bump it : )

 

nakaya namiki .jpg

 

I'd day these two pens are definitely something to brag about!

[stan]

[dms525]

Arrived yesterday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This nib writes very smoothly, yet is a nice crisp italic. Very sweet.

 

David

[zaddick]

Congratulations David. This is a nice pen and is not too common.

 

Will it ascend like the dragon pens? I assume so, but it is hard to tell if that has already happened.

 

Nibs.com really has some tempting Nakayas right now.

[dms525]

Congratulations David. This is a nice pen and is not too common.

 

Will it ascend like the dragon pens? I assume so, but it is hard to tell if that has already happened.

 

Nibs.com really has some tempting Nakayas right now.

 

 

Thanks, zaddick!

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "ascend" in this instance. If you mean the drawn motif has continuity between the barrel and the cap, the answer is "yes."

 

 

 

Not the best photo, but, since the drawing wraps around the pen, it's hard to capture. The owl is sitting on a branch of a tree. The trunk of the tree crosses the barrel/cap juncture.

 

If "ascend" means something else, please clarify.

 

David

[GardenWeasel]

Gorgeous pen! Pen rest ain't bad either.

[zaddick]

Sorry for lack of clarification. I meant ascend as in the picture will reveal it self more and more as the urushi coating lightens with exposure to light. The concept behind the ascending dragon pens that are so popular from Nakaya. I was just unsure if this pen was meant to have the same intended behavior when the owl is purposefully obscured with the intention it will be revealed more with time and use.

 

I suppose all tamenuri style pens will ascend, even if just to show the undercoating color, so maybe it was a dumb question on my part.

[dms525]

Sorry for lack of clarification. I meant ascend as in the picture will reveal it self more and more as the urushi coating lightens with exposure to light. The concept behind the ascending dragon pens that are so popular from Nakaya. I was just unsure if this pen was meant to have the same intended behavior when the owl is purposefully obscured with the intention it will be revealed more with time and use.

 

I suppose all tamenuri style pens will ascend, even if just to show the undercoating color, so maybe it was a dumb question on my part.

 

 

Well, since I learned what the term "ascending" means in urushi-speak, your question was useful to me!

 

David

[JemC]

I've been wondering what the "Ascending" Dragon meant as well. I had supposed it was more along the lines of a dragon who's decided to turn away from burning villages and eating peasants and move on to loftier purposes in life.

 

So thanks, Zaddick!