how are maki-e pens graded

[bushido]

how are maki-e pens graded? what constitutes a pen receiving the top grade versus second best? any reference material or explanation would be appreciated. thank you.

[rhk]

I would suggest reading the book by Hutt/Overbury. I don't think it is available in bookstores anymore, so you would either have to borrow, or to get it on the second hand market. Ruud

[shuuemura]

I believe Dr. Ron Dutcher posted something about the Dunhill-Namiki grading system on his website. Worth taking a look at it for starters!

[bushido]

thank you both of you. shuuemura you've been especially a big help on my other questions; you seem to know a lot about japanese pens.

[HOP]

Bushido,

 

The maki-e pen are graded based on the maki-e techniuqes and quality.

 

Grade A pen uses Takamakie orshishiai togidashi-makie after the main surface was coated with rich gold powder. The clip, and lever were also decorated. I think a good example will be my favor Namiki Carp on waterfall.

 

Grade B pen uses less complex techqniue. Example the Togidashi or Hiramakie. Takamakie was partially added. Gold powder was roughly scatted around makie. Example will be a few good pens from Namiki Yukari Royal series.

 

Grade C pen doesn't have any gold powder. Just simple makie.

 

Grade D pen are those simple urushi pens without any maki-e.

 

The book "Namiki" by Hutt/Overbury is a good book to have for Maki-e pen collector. It is still available at pen-site (not affiliated). However, I will have to highlight that it doesn't have a chapter on the grading the pen, but a brief mentioned on how the pen was rated. It does, however, have a good page (page 91) showing a good sample of vintage maki-e pens with grade.

 

If you are based in Singapore, you can visit the big pen stores. All 3 of them have the book.

 

The other books that you might want to consider are "Dunhill-Namiki and Lacquer Pens" by Tomihiro Murakami. The latest books on Namiki is by Christophe Larquemin titled "The Four Season of Namiki". It is available locally at FH. I have sold all my copies.

 

Both books (Hutt/Overbury and Christophe) are printed in limited copies of 1000.

 

I hope the above help.

 

Cheers,

 

Arthur

Edited February 22, 2010 by HOP

[SincerelySpicy]

Just to mention, maki-e is only one of several dozen different techniques of urushi lacquer. "Grading" maki-e work would be perfectly fine using the techniques mentioned above, but remember, just because one pen uses the same technique as another does not mean that they are of the same quality.

 

However, the grading technique mentioned above is less applicable to the quality of the work and more applicable to the price of the work. The more complex the maki-e the more expensive it will be not because of a difference in quality, but because of the different amounts of labor involved.

 

Actual quality of maki-e work comes from how finely details are executed, how thick and well the flakes and powders are adhered, the composition of the piece, how many layers of lacquer are in the base coat and how well each layer was executed. In terms of lacquerware in general, not just pens, I have seen pieces made of simple hiramaki-e (flat, non raised images) go for far more than some more complex pieces that uses layers of hira, togidashi, and taka maki-e solely because the interesting composition of the piece. When it comes down to it, it's the skill of the artisan and not necessarily the technique that determines the quality of a piece.

 

Lastly, as I've said before, there are several dozen different techniques of lacquer. Maki-e and it's subset of techniques is only a tiny fraction of all that can be done with lacquerware, and it would be unfair to lump together all of them in the same group. For example, chinkin and maki-e both use much the same materials to create the artwork, but they both require completely different skills and techniques. Chinkin is arguably "easier" because it is often less time consuming compared to most maki-e. However, it has it's own beauty and craftsmanship that maki-e does not have and vice versa.

 

To me, the quality of maki-e and more broadly, lacquerware, comes not from whether or not it uses a lot of gold powder, or whether or not it uses more than one technique of maki-e. It comes from the beauty of the craftsmanship and artistic composition. But then, quality and value are two different things.

Edited February 22, 2010 by SJM1123

[shuuemura]

thank you both of you. shuuemura you've been especially a big help on my other questions; you seem to know a lot about japanese pens.

 

You're most welcome!

[winedoc]

Read this thread with interest, but time to put in my 2 cents.

 

I would agree with SJM1123's post. The Dunhill-Namiki's grading system has one big major flaw. By definition for the purists out there, the term "Maki-e" literally means sprinkle/painting with gold powders, so an urushi pen without any decoration can not be considered a maki-e, hence the Grade D does not make sense. The whole A, B, C, D system gives the impression that a grade D pen is less worthy than a grade B pen, when in fact a finely grafted urushi pen can be quite desirable over some hira maki-e pens. This is like compare apples to oranges. In this grading system any urushi pens, no matter how finely crafted would be consider a grade D (using namiki's own Emperor urushi for example). Are they implying the Emperor Urushi pen is less worthy than their Nippon Art series pens (in this case a grade C or grade B at best)?

 

How about a hira-maki-e made by a master such as Japan's living treasure vs. a Shishiai-taka maki-e from an apprentice? Which one is of higher grade base on that system? and which one would you rather have?

 

Grading maki-e is not easy as there are too many variables, and one should always buy what appeals to them :-)

 

Kevin

[stan]

Adding a comment to one by Kevin may be gratuitous but, here goes.

 

When we were in Wajima we visited a small museum that was part of a showroom. Inside away from human touch were several pieces of lacquerware that were several hundred years old. As explained they were prized masterworks. To me they looked no different from any plastic cup or bowl found in any old shop. They were supposedly incredibly valuable made by the then-equivalent of a living national treasure. Who was I to argue.

[SincerelySpicy]

Adding a comment to one by Kevin may be gratuitous but, here goes.

 

When we were in Wajima we visited a small museum that was part of a showroom. Inside away from human touch were several pieces of lacquerware that were several hundred years old. As explained they were prized masterworks. To me they looked no different from any plastic cup or bowl found in any old shop. They were supposedly incredibly valuable made by the then-equivalent of a living national treasure. Who was I to argue.

 

 

Many of japan's national treasures in any field of art and crafts are in fact as Stan described. To western eyes these masterworks seem incredibly mundane, plain and at times even crude. Nevertheless these works are priceless because of the particular ideals and ideas of art present in japan. For one who is experienced with Asian and Japanese art in particular, these "plain" or "crude" works of art and craft are just as or often even more awe inspiring than ornately and intricately done western crafts. Lacquer is no exception. Modern lacquerware on pens seem very much produced with a western idea of decorative art in mind shunning simple but profound reservation and constraint in favor of intricate details, busy compositions and an emphasis on perfection. I know that the use of thick layers of gold and intricate scenes in lacquerware do exist in traditional and historical pieces, but they do not represent the majority of what is considered the best of the best.

 

I dont mean to say that the more intricate pieces are inferior to the others, but I am asking admirers of lacquerware to refrain from over generalization. Each culture and individual have their own idea of beauty, art and craft, and value and quality are reflected in those ideals. As Kevin mentioned above, buy, admire and enjoy what you personally enjoy.

Edited February 24, 2010 by SJM1123

[Readymade]

The discussion so far has been about maki-e appreciation, and it's made me muse on how the monetary value of a maki-e pen is determined.

 

It seems straightforward that the more well-known a Japanese maki-e craftsman, the more money a pen with his work will fetch.

 

But would I know how famous a craftsman is relative to other craftsmen? And if I'm hoping to sell the pen on later (or even if I'm just entertaining the possibility), how sure can I be that *other* collectors hold the same opinion of a given craftsman?

 

Hence, to preserve a certain price level for these pens there have to be common frames of reference. (Whether these frames are accurate or not is debatable.)

 

In this context, although there are conceptual flaws in the Dunhill-Namiki grading, it's an easy frame of reference to talk about the monetary value of Dunhill-Namiki and other Namiki maki-e pens.

 

Moreover, Namiki has been advertising its maki-e artists and this helps strengthen the overall perception that, say, X pen costs $Y thousand because it's painted by Mr Z who is <insert accolade>.

 

These frames of reference allow a pen's monetary value to increase. When enough collectors believe that the pen will appreciate in monetary value, it will

 

What do you think?

Edited February 25, 2010 by Readymade

[winedoc]

The discussion so far has been about maki-e appreciation, and it's made me muse on how the monetary value of a maki-e pen is determined.

 

It seems straightforward that the more well-known a Japanese maki-e craftsman, the more money a pen with his work will fetch.

 

But would I know how famous a craftsman is relative to other craftsmen? And if I'm hoping to sell the pen on later (or even if I'm just entertaining the possibility), how sure can I be that *other* collectors hold the same opinion of a given craftsman?

 

Hence, to preserve a certain price level for these pens there have to be common frames of reference. (Whether these frames are accurate or not is debatable.)

 

In this context, although there are conceptual flaws in the Dunhill-Namiki grading, it's an easy frame of reference to talk about the monetary value of Dunhill-Namiki and other Namiki maki-e pens.

 

Moreover, Namiki has been advertising its maki-e artists and this helps strengthen the overall perception that, say, X pen costs $Y thousand because it's painted by Mr Z who is <insert accolade>.

 

These frames of reference allow a pen's monetary value to increase. When enough collectors believe that the pen will appreciate in monetary value, it will

 

What do you think?

 

 

If one is to buy stuff to hope that it will appreciate or retain it's value, then no question one should by Namiki, Rolex, Patek Phillippe etc, as you would have better chance of that. Namiki has years of advantage over other Japanese pen makers and partnering with Dunhill also boost brand image and marketing which Dunhill is very good at doing. Rightly or wrongly, this has stuck in people's mind. Any maki-e got slapped with "Dunhill-Namiki" label now automatically gets that benefit from years of marketing. Same argument has been debated back and forth in watch world too. Do Rolex makes better watches compare to Vacheron Constantin, IWC etc? Most enthusiasts would not think so, but Rolex often is persived to be the top by casual observer and retain value much better than other brands.

 

Interestingly, as far as I know, and do correct me if I am wrong, but only the Dunhill-Namiki brand uses the grading system, and Namiki/Pilot does not? This would imply this is created for Western market where grading is seen as important. Otherwise, Namiki would have use the same system for Japanese market. Last I check, I don't see grading for any of their current maki-e offerigns. Many of those simple urushi treasures in museum that Satn talked about would only gets a grade D base on Dunhill-Namiki grading system. I think grading would be better (yet still not perfect) if it's to grade maki-e and urushi separately.

 

Bottom line, buy gold/stock/house/bonds for investment purpose and buy maki-e you like for enjoyment. Like I have said before, the best maki-e is the one in your hand.

 

Kevin

[SincerelySpicy]

Interestingly, as far as I know, and do correct me if I am wrong, but only the Dunhill-Namiki brand uses the grading system, and Namiki/Pilot does not? This would imply this is created for Western market where grading is seen as important. Otherwise, Namiki would have use the same system for Japanese market. Last I check, I don't see grading for any of their current maki-e offerigns. Many of those simple urushi treasures in museum that Satn talked about would only gets a grade D base on Dunhill-Namiki grading system. I think grading would be better (yet still not perfect) if it's to grade maki-e and urushi separately.

 

Kevin

 

I have to agree that the dunhill-namiki grading system is solely for the western market, or at least for markets with western ideals in art and craft. In a market where something wabi-sabi can be considered just as or more important and valuable than a highly ornate piece of shisai togidashi maki-e, that grading system ends up being somewhat irrelevant.

 

I would say that if you absolutely must have a pen that will retain its value, most of the higher end lacquer pens by Namiki/Pilot, Sailor and platinum will keep their value or appreciate relatively well. However, expect the long-term value to be better in the pen market as opposed to the lacquerware market. I would also generally apply pen grading and appraising techniques to determine the long-term value of a pen rather than lacquerware grading techniques. Look for quality of manufacture, rarity, popularity, good design and other characteristics that make any pen--not just lacquer pens--worth more.

Edited February 26, 2010 by SJM1123

[stan]

/As in-house idiot du jour and makie dunce, the consideration of a grading scheme has eluded me for some ten years. I buy from numerous collectors in Japan and have not once encountered this. Maybe I'm dealing with the wrong people. I do not buy makie unless requested by a customer. Never collected them either. However, I've been fortunate to buy and sell a few and this has never been an issue. It seems more or less a sales tool or gimmick by those wishing to unload pens at the highest possible price.

 

My advise to anyone who ever asks is to buy what you like. There are certain pens out there that are investment grade. If you get caught up in that syndrome you can never EVER appreciate the beauty of Japanese pens.

[HOP]

I think maki-e is a form of art. Just like any art products, the grading is complex. The Dunhill-Namiki grading serve as a inital guide only, and not as hard rules, as the buyer need to further acess the products based on it quality, artisan, technique and other factors (like the quality of the lacquer used, and the number of layer of lacquer, etc) as mentioned by others.

 

I wouldn't compare a Namiki Emporer or Yukari Royal Urushi with a Namiki Nippon art as Nippon Art is silk screen (just my view).

 

Few days ago, I took out my Dani Trio "Japanese Apricot and Mandarin Duck Couple" and compare it against the Namiki "Mandarin Duck". I think Dani Trio duck is better expressed. This doesn't mean Namiki and others does not made good maki-e pens. This is just my view. Beauty lies in the eye of beholder. ... i prefer Namiki Goldfish to Dani Trio. :-)

 

I agree with stan that one should buy what he like, and appreciate the beauty of Japanese pens and maki-e. At least for me, I feel there are many good maki-e artisan, I buy into the maki-e art (not brand) that I like. The buyer had to be clear why he buy the pen.

 

Some people go to SPA or for a run to destress, for me it is looking at those beautiful maki-e pen.

 

Cheers,

 

 

My advise to anyone who ever asks is to buy what you like. There are certain pens out there that are investment grade. If you get caught up in that syndrome you can never EVER appreciate the beauty of Japanese pens.

[triojoe]

Maki-e pen is a piece of art not product just like other form of art.

In my opinion, to grade a piece of art is difficult or impossible. It

doesn't matter it's western or Japanese system.

 

 

[nicholasyeo]

An insightful discussion on Maki-e. I think that a price tag can never be put on art.

There is always both intangible and tangible sides to a product, and neither should

be neglected. I trust that every artist who creates a piece of work puts his or her

soul and dedication towards the most discriminating standards.