Deep purple enjoys a regal reputation as the earliest dyes painstakingly derived from a rare sea snail. The color was reserved for the use by royalty in Europe as it was too expensive for others. Now it is possible to have this color in a Nakaya Portable Writer fountain pen in an application of many rich deep layers of urushi purple lacquer.

This Nakaya fountain pen is made of hard rubber or ebonite that is meticulously coated with urushi, a material made from the sap of a Japanese lacquer tree. The process of collecting the urushi and applying many layers of lacquer to this fountain pen takes three months to complete.

The Portable Writer in Shobu is a full-sized pen that will fit comfortably in most hands.

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

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.

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.