Yamanaka brand?

[ThreadorYarn]

(reposting cuz I put this in the China Far East forum by mistake) I've been looking at maki-e pens on ebay (link below) and I've been seeing a lot of pens that look a lot like the Platinum maki-e pens, but described as being brand name Yamanaka.  I don't read Japanese so I can't tell from the ebay pics if they're the same company or related somehow. The nibs are different, so I'm thinking it's either a good-looking knockoff or a related(maybe Platinum's lower-priced?) brand. thanks

 

EBAY: Maki-e Urushi Lacquer Makie Fountain Pen Yamanaka lacquerware SakuraCherry Japan

[txomsy]

I do not know.

But judging by the price, I would say they are likely industrially produced maki-e, possibly with silk screening, i.e. with printed images, not hand painted. But do not take my word for it. As I said at the start, I do not really know.

[stan]

Looks like junk from mainland China. The nib gives away how cheap it is. Caveat emptor!

[Preserved_Killick]

Definitely not a Platinum brand.  Listing says it's a Schmidt nib.

[A Smug Dill]

9 hours ago, ThreadorYarn said:

… I've been seeing a lot of pens that look a lot like the Platinum maki-e pens, but described as being brand name Yamanaka.

 

Apparently this isn't one of them.

 

Nowhere in the eBay listing does it say the brand name is Yamanaka; it only claims that it is Yamanaka lacquerware. Yamanaka is a place, in the way Kanazawa is a place, in Japan. Platinum Pen has a number of #3776 Century models (PNB-35000H) marketed with the name Kanazawa-haku (金沢箔) — “Kanazawa gold leaf” — but it just means their pen bodies are finished with gold foil craftwork techniques attributed to the Kanazawa tradition. “Yamanaka lacquerware” would be akin to “Delftware”; Delft is a place and not a brand, and Delftware might even (questionably) not be made in Delft itself.

 

9 hours ago, ThreadorYarn said:

I don't read Japanese so I can't tell from the ebay pics if they're the same company or related somehow.

 

You don't need to read Japanese to tell, though.

 

 

You should be able to tell from the photos in the eBay item listing, if you're interested enough in the product to look closely, that it is an Ohto Proud fountain pen; the brand name is Ohto, not Platinum. Even though it appears to be a discontinued model, you can find enough information on the Web, to check that the description matches other details in the item listing; for example, that the pen has an aluminium body. That it comes with an Ohto FCR-6 ink cartridge certainly supports that observation.

 

Yes, I can believe that the fountain pen (body) itself is made in Japan.

 

Obviously someone bought a bunch of these cheaply made pens of a discontinued model, applied some after-market “Yamanaka lacquerware” maki-e work to the barrels to add value, and is trying to flog the finished products off as “high-grade” fountain pens.

[ThreadorYarn]

18 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Nowhere in the eBay listing does it say the brand name is Yamanaka; i

 

 

 

the description of the pen listing says Yamanaka is the brand.

thank you for the rest of the info, some of the detail you pointed out on the pictures don't show clearly on my screen.- 

[A Smug Dill]

Just now, ThreadorYarn said:

the description of the pen listing says Yamanaka is the brand.

 

OK. I stand corrected. Thank you.

[ThreadorYarn]

3 hours ago, stan said:

 Caveat emptor!

 

and that's why I'm asking before buying

[stan]

23 minutes ago, ThreadorYarn said:

 

and that's why I'm asking before buying

You do not want this pen. Or, do you? If so, ask questions of the seller. It is a mechanically screened pen done in a factory. Ask who is Yamanaka. BTW, Yamanaka is in Ishikawa Prefecture and is known for makie. 

[mke]

Ohto pens look like being made in China.

And the nib is NEVER from Schmidt Germany, they have a different nib design.

 

Better buy a Platinum 3776 makie pen. Some members of the Japan forum (not me) sell Platinum 3776 makie pens, afaik. They might still have some.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, mke said:

Ohto pens look like being made in China.

And the nib is NEVER from Schmidt Germany, they have a different nib design.

 

An old, long-expired Massdrop offer stated that the Ohto Proud is made in Japan:

https://drop.com/buy/ohto-proud/details?#details

 

but…

 

[mke]

8 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

made in Japan

I wonder what - of the whole production process - is really done in Japan?

 

[A Smug Dill]

24 minutes ago, mke said:

I wonder what - of the whole production process - is really done in Japan?

 

 

Assembly, reading between the lines at https://www.ohto.co.jp/english/factory/

 

Oh, and even though the Ohto Proud is a (long?) discontinued model, the (ex tax?) MSRP of the pen model can still be found on the manufacturer's web site, if case anyone is curious.

 

[mke]

@ThreadorYarn

Why don't you buy an entry makiepen from one of the Big3 (Sailor, Pilot, Platinum)?

Of course, they are more expensive - but you will have a much better pen - often even with gold nibs.

 

Examples

The left is a Sailor pen and the right one is a Pilot Custom 74.

 

 

---

Michael

I am selling most of my pens and keeping a few nice ones.