Nakaya
Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 1 Ishime-Kanshitsu Kuro-tamenuri
Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 1 Ishime-Kanshitsu Kuro-tamenuri
The Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 1 is one of the most innovative and distinctive designs created by Nakaya. Layers of urushi lacquer are applied over a period of months to create the fin on the cap, and the surface is then completed with either smooth Urushi or stone texture Ishime-Kanshitsu finish. With either finish, this is one of the most memorable writing instruments Nakaya has produced.
Both the Dorsal Fin shape and the Ishime Kanshitsu technique used on this pen are particularly time intensive - production of these pen requires a minimum of six months or more. Successive layers of urushi lacquer are applied to create the fin shape on the cap, which also serves as a built-in roll-stopper. Dried urushi powder is then used to create the stone-like texture of the surface.
Nakaya Dorsal Fin pens are hand-turned from natural ebonite which has been sustainably harvested from the rubber gum tree. Ebonite hard rubber is the classic material for high-end fountain pens - writing instruments created using this material are still in everyday usage a hundred years or more after being produced. urushi lacquer finish is then applied in the traditional craft center of Wajima on the west coast of Japan, and also in the Nakaya workshop in Tokyo.
The Nakaya Dorsal Fin version 1 in Kuro-tamenuri Ishime Kanshitsu finish can be provided with any of Nakaya's solid gold 14k nibs in your choice of tipping size.
The Nakaya double slit Music nib is available at an added premium, as are plated nibs in Pink Gold, Rhodium, Ruthenium, or Two-Tone.
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Customization Guide
Stub
 
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Above is the same size nib after a regrind to Stub. A regrind to Stub is often a good place to start for your first customization. Â A Stub nib provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes while writing, and is less position-sensitive on the paper than the crisper and slightly more demanding cursive italic.
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Cursive Italic
 
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More demanding, but also providing crisper edges and more line-width variation, is the very popular customization to Cursive Italic. This also provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes, but is also more position-sensitive in terms of how the pen is held and requires more skill on the part of the user. This is a common customization for artists and calligraphers, but is still smooth enough to make for a good everyday writer.
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Formal Italic
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Formal Italic is an even crisper and more demanding customization than either cursive italic or left oblique, and is usually utilized for calligraphy and by the most experienced users. This provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes, with even crisper corners and edges than a cursive italic - this is an extremely position-sensitive customization.
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Left Oblique
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 Commonly used for signatures and correspondence, the Left Oblique customization provides broad diagonal strokes and narrow cross-strokes, and like a cursive italic, is more position-sensitive and demanding than a stub. The whole pen must be rotated to the left in order to write smoothly, without skipping. The "Left" in Left Oblique refers to the cut of the nib itself, and does not refer to the handedness of the writer. |
Architect's Point (Also for Arabic and Hebraic writing)
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A more exotic regrind is that to Architect’s Point. Named after the style of writing used by Frank Lloyd Wright, this regrind is the opposite of cursive italic, and provides for broad cross-strokes and narrow down-strokes. This also tends to be a particularly useful customization for those practicing Arabic or Hebraic calligraphy. |
Spencerian
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Perhaps our most popular customization, but also one of the most advanced, the Mottishaw Spencerian Customization has gained special attention from being featured in a customer's YouTube video which has now received over twelve million views! The Spencerian starts from a semi-soft 14k nib and adds additional flex and a regrind to needlepoint to create a specialized writing point used for copperplate calligraphy. For more details, visit our special Spencerian page.. |