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This has been a hot topic on the FPN facebook group but for those not part of that here goes. This is the Danitrio F-49 Blue Dragon on Hyotan LE by the artist Yuji. It is, or was, an LE of 30 pens. Mine is #30. I bought mine in 2018 and it was not a new model then. Pen Venture recently posted a YouTube video of an exactly identical pen with the same LE number by the same artist. No changes at all that I can see. The vendor confirmed to me a second edition of the same pen design was run at some point recently due to popularity. This totally undermines the concept of an LE and devalues every pen made in both (only two?) runs. Pretty much dishonest too. What do y'all think? Untitled-1 yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

This is my Danitrio Hyotan Special edition Maki-e F-49 Blue Dragon LE. There are only 30 of these pens produced by the artist Yuji. This dragon does, however, appear on another pen, a Mikado model with more involved maki-e that retailed for far more than this pen. Untitled-1 yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr closeup yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

I've had this pen for awhile. Since it's attractive I thought I'd capture a good picture of it. Danitrio really does tamenuri well and the curvy shape of this pen lets the light play off of the tamenuri. working image full yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

How does one come up with superlatives to describe something? What I’ve got here almost belies description; it must be experienced. This is a Danitrio Hyotan or calabash/gourd shaped pen with dragon and flower maki-e. I don’t even really know the real name of the pen or the model number. The artist is Kogaku and I’ve two other magnificent pens by him but this one is beyond. Like my new flat top Mikado the base is shu-tamenuri but that is where similarities end save the quality of the work. IMG_2897 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2903 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2906 by Ja Ja, on Flickr On the cap there is a cloud dragon. I assume that because there is a dragon and some clouds. The dragon is a large piece of contoured maki-e work that utilizes a gold powder so fine individual particles cannot be made out with the naked eye with what appears to be a raden eye. The clouds are bordered in gold and filled with finely grained silver powder for extra sparkle and texture. So now we are up to two or three different metal powders and many coats of urushi of different color/composition. IMG_2904 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2900 by Ja Ja, on Flickr The body has a flower motif rendering what I believe is Tsubaki or Camelia, but I could be wrong. One flower appears more “realistic” whereas the other one appears to be symbolic of something perhaps a Buddhist symbol, or not. Anyway, it is a (symbolic?) flower encircled by symbolic waves. The whole of the flower uses at least 5 different sizes of metal powders of gold and what appears to be copper and at least two difference colors/compositions of urushi including green and red. There is also raden on each flower. The amount of work here is astonishing. IMG_2899 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2902 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2901 by Ja Ja, on Flickr Almost forgot this was a pen. It sports a #6 “Buddhist flame” nib and plastic feed that is supplied by a CC filer. I like a CC filler on Danitrio pens. It means that I get to change inks more often. This is a broad nib and an excellent writer with just the barest amount of pressure. Ink glides across the page. IMG_2905 by Ja Ja, on Flickr The packaging is old school Danitrio in that the pen comes in a fabric pouch encased in a large, mirror black lacquered box. It’s not urushi but it looks great and feels substantial, special, and presents this pen as an occasion. The only other Danitrio pen I have that came with this big box is my very first from four years ago, which is just (just!) a tamenuri finished Mikado. All the others have come in simple Paulownia wood boxes, even the maki-e pens. Not sure what dictates the packaging. IMG_2896 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2893 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2894 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_2895 by Ja Ja, on Flickr

Just picked up this Danitrio Cosmos (Choo) by Kenji Yamamoto. Marugane chirashi, raden, hirame-ji, and kingi maki-e. The section is stamped Grand Trio, which is the name the Hyotan model used to go by I believe. Amazing pen, super hard to photograph. I've been wanting an example of this artists work for some time. Good writer and gorgeous. This is an older model but I picked it up new and the LE number is 1/50. IMG_1527 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_1528 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_1529 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_1530 by Ja Ja, on Flickr IMG_1531 by Ja Ja, on Flickr danitrio Cosmos by Ja Ja, on Flickr

This is the Danitrio Hyotan special edition maki-e F-49 Blue Dragon LE. Hyotan refers to the water gourd and the pen clearly mimics the Calabash shape. Due to its curvaceous nature the Hyotan has been dubbed the “Mae West”. One might think the pen awkward to grip but that is not so, it settles nicely in the hand and is a good writer. Lots of pens write well though. The standout feature of this pen is clearly the large, detailed maki-e dragon and it’s a beauty. Normally, this dragon is featured on larger pens like the Mikado and Genkai along with a more involved maki-e design. This pen brings the central figure down to a more accessible price point. Relatively accessible that is. Dragons are common features of traditional Japanese (and Chinese etc.) artwork. Sometimes it is said that the number of toes or the horns has some meaning, and this may be so here, but for the most part one cannot distinguish Japanese and Chinese dragons by these features. Japanese dragons are often water dragons but can exist in the clouds. Unlike Chinese dragons, Japanese dragons can be good or bad. Chinese dragons are basically benevolent. I really wish I knew the back story on this dragon; there is definitely a story here, something cultured and cultural. Regardless, the multifold maki-e techniques are a joy to study and the sophisticated artistic sensibility is moving. It really is an impressive piece of work. For Danitrio this is a medium sized pen but fully qualifies as large. Since the base is ebonite it’s not heavy. I reckon one could force the pen to post but that would be foolish. Posting would eventually disfigure the maki-e finish and that would be a tragedy. The 18k #6 nib is supplied by a plastic feed and a cartridge converter. These Buddhist flame style nibs are a bit soft sometimes bordering on springy. This one is a little bit soft and while it writes a nice consistent line it tends to make some noise, kind of like a squeaky sound. Odd but not off putting. The artist is Yuji Ohkado and this is the only pen I have from him. I’d say it’s a pretty good start ha ha!