Murakumo-nuri Fountain pen
The Murakumo-nuri technique was mastered over four hundred years ago, and it has been a treasure of Yamanaka Lacquerware in Ishikawa Prefecture ever since.
Perfected through a long, painstaking process of trial and error by the artisans to achieve the exquisite result.
Making Process
After Vermillion or cream shade Urushi is evenly applied, another freshly applied coat is roasted over with "Warousoku" (和ろうそく) or Japanese candle flame before it dries.
The marks made by the flame touching the Urushi surface creates a shadow pattern resembling soot, as if it were a projection.
The areas touched by the flame strongly and for a long time are darker, the areas touched only gently are lighter, and the marks that are repeated two or three times remain as a pattern with a sense of three-dimensionality.
Crafted with the Japanese "Yuragi" concept
The concept of Murakumo-nuri transcends the tranquility that is brought by a slow-moving flame from a Warousoku or Japanese candle as if it's inviting you into the meditation state by its movement. In Japanese, "Yuragi" is often expressed to emphasize the everchanging world in nature.
Similarly, the "Yuragi" concept is aligned with 1/f fluctuation.
The calming wave of flame movement is considered as the irregular 1/f fluctuation, a signal or noise that has a more low-frequency than high in a sound such as the rhythm of a heartbeat, or the sound of a flowing river. Feel the tranquil experience calmed by the 1/f fluctuations in the Murakumo technique fountain pen.
The Wonder of Natural Urushi
Like the twilight sky, each pattern in Murakumo-nuri pens is a unique expression shaped by the flames, making it irreplaceable. The flickering of the flame creates art that truly accentuates its uniqueness.
It's interesting to note that the natural Urushi material will gradually change color with each use, while the luster from the soot flame will become more apparent, giving an impression of depth and gradient coloring. The remarkable artwork of Murakumo-nuri allows fountain pens to be enjoyed as they age.
