Yosana Buson's painting "Black Kites and Crows," which serves as the inspiration for this motif, was completed in the last year of Buson's life and is seen by many as a culmination of his artistic work. Crows often symbolize an end process in Japanese art, and their placement in a winter setting is particularly evocative.

The crows and tree branches have been realized in Yako Maki-e technique, which applies layers of black Kuro Urushi to create a gently raised surface. Silver powder is used for the snow, and the background is realized in reddish-black Aka-tamenuri. Each pen is hand-finished in the town of Wajima on the west coast of Japan, a traditional center for lacquer ware technique with a history stretching back over centuries.

Not just a beautiful work of Maki-e art, this pen is also a superb everyday writing instrument, protected by the durable nature of Urushi lacquer. It fills using Nakaya's reliable cartridge-converter system using either Platinum brand cartridges or, when fitted with the provided converter, any bottled fountain pen ink. The softwood presentation box and fabric pen kimono add to the pen's value and also make this a superb gift item for special occasions.