Nakaya
Nakaya Portable Writer Yakou Maki-e Hagi
Nakaya Portable Writer Yakou Maki-e Hagi
Long a favorite motif in Japan, the Yakou Maki-e ""Hagi"" (bush clover) design uses the Yakou Maki-e technique. An extremely subtle raised glossy surface is all that is different than the Kuro-tamenuri. But what a difference.
A superb example of Yakou Maki-e technique, the Nakaya Portable Portable Yakou Maki-e Hagi fountain pen uses a Hagi (bush clover) motif over a dark red Shu background. The motif, created by painting multiple layers of black Urushi on top of the Shu background, will become more pronounced over time as the Urushi lacquer matures and the background becomes brighter. Notice the edges and margins.
The ebonite hard rubber cap and barrel provide a superb surface for the urushi lacquer layering - vintage ebonite pens have been known to last for a hundred years and more. Note how the underlying Shu color breaks through on the edges of the cap and barrel, providing a hint of what this pen will look like later in in its life.
The Nakaya Portable Yakou Maki-e Hagi can be filled with bottled fountain pen ink using the provided converter. Nakaya pens can also use Platinum brand top quality ink cartridges. Hand-painted Maki-e converters are also available.
The solid gold 14k Nakaya ""Nakata"" nib comes in a wide range of tipping sizes: Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and Extra Broad, with Fine Soft, Medium Soft, and Super Extra Fine nibs also available. Plated and two-tone nibs are also available, as are rhodium, ruthenium, and rose gold plated clips.
These smooth-writing nibs are well-suited to customizations including Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, as well as the modification for added flex - see our nib customizations page for more information.
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.
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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.. |