Designed by Nakaya master pen designer Shinichi Yoshida in collaboration with John Mottishaw, the Naka-ai, with its cone-shaped ends and tapered body, combines many of Nakaya’s most distinctive design features in a single model. The smooth deep black lacquer surface gives this pen a classic look. ""Naka-ai"" has the meaning of middle or in-between, and brings to mind the Middle Way of Buddhist practice with its emphasis on balance, integrity, and centeredness. Appropriately enough, the Naka-ai occupies a midway position between Nakaya's smaller Piccolo series pens and the longer Deskpen.

The Nakaya Naka-ai Writer Kuro-roiro fountain pen is handcrafted from ebonite and Urushi lacquer. It comes standard with your choice of solid gold 14k single-tone nib.

The Nakaya Naka-ai Writer fountain pen in Kuro-roiro finish and gold trim makes a powerful statement. An elegantly minimalist design gives this writing instrument a modern, contemporary appearance, while the gold trim and nib puts this pen equally at home in an artist's studio or in a corporation board room.

As with all Nakaya Urushi pens, each Naka-ai pen is made of hand-turned ebonite hard rubber, then sent to the Wajima region in western Japan for finishing with Urushi lacquer. Final assembly is then accomplished in Nakaya's offices in Tokyo and at the Nibs.com office in Miami, where each nib is hand-tuned for the writing characteristics of the individual user. Customized designs and hand-painted kanji lettering are available on a special order basis.

Nakaya pens can be filled with bottled fountain pen ink using the provided converter and can also use Platinum brand high-quality ink cartridges. Hand-painted Maki-e converters are also available.

The classic gold glip serves as a built-in roll stopper and allows the pen to be securely fastened to a shirt pocket.

Nakaya 14k nibs are well-suited to customizations including Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, as well as the modification for added flex.
Nakaya pens ship in a solid softwood shipping box decorated with Japanese Kanji script and lined with decorative rice paper. A fabric pen ""kimono"" and starter box of Platinum brand cartridges are also included, making this pen a lovely presentation item. Sensible and elegant packaging has long been a hallmark of the Nakaya brand.
Nakaya pens are individually handcrafted in a process that requires a minimum of three to six months and often much longer.
Unless requested otherwise, each pen or nib you purchase from us will be carefully examined, tested, and optimized for your personal writing characteristics before it ships. See our nib set-up and optimization page for more details.