Nakaya
Nakaya Portable Cigar Ascending Dragon Ao-tamenuri
Nakaya Portable Cigar Ascending Dragon Ao-tamenuri
Previously known as the Blue Dragon, this motif, seen on other Nakaya fountain pens in Aka-tamenuri and Kuro-tamenuri, has been employed on the Portable Cigar Ascending Dragon Ao-tamenuri with an intriguing blue-green finish developed by Nakaya. This unique urushi lacquer color mix gives a stronger sense of the ascending dragon, even when new.
The Dragon motif seen on other Nakaya fountain pens in Aka-tamenuri is here expressed in Nakaya's Ao-tamenuri hue. Unlike the fiery red of Aka-tamenuri, this subtle, mysterious blue-green hue seems to explore the mystical and symbolic aspects of the dragon.
The underlying motif will grow brighter over time as the layers of Urushi lacquer mature. These are not pens to be stored away in a drawer - with a Nakaya fountain pen, the process of using and displaying the pen contributes to the maturation of the lacquer. Because each fountain pen is handcrafted, no two will be exactly alike.
Note the attention to detail in the motif. Tame-sukashi is an extremely painstaking and time intensive technique, and Blue Dragon pens usually require a minimum of six months to a year to be produced. This is not just a pen that can be used to create a work of art or fine writing - it is an object that is a work of art in its own right.
Nakaya pens can be filled with bottled ink using the provided converter and can also use Platinum brand ink cartridges. Hand-painted Maki-e converters are also available.
These 14k nibs are well-suited to customizations including Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, as well as the modification for added flex.
Though the full range of Nakaya nibs is made available, the Ascending Dragon Ao-tamenuri looks particularly stunning with a ruthenium-plated nib, as it complements the mysterious nature of the Ao-tamenuri finish. (seen here with a gold nib) The blue-green motif in the form of a flaming pearl continues on the gripping section.
Decorative rice paper, a simple solid softwood shipping box decorated with Japanese Kanji script, a starter box of Platinum ink cartridges, and a fabric pen ""kimono"" are all included with this pen, making it a lovely presentation item. Sensible and elegant packaging has long been a hallmark of the Nakaya brand.
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.
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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.. |