Raden - Sourin Fountain Pen (Limited Edition)

Notice: Each Urushi fountain pen is handcrafted with no two pieces exactly alike, which is a valuable characteristic of hand-crafted art. Therefore, the pen that you received might be slightly different from the prototype pictures, yet, at the same time, it will be a unique artwork of your own.

The Raden - Sourin Fountain Pen is available for pre-order only, and it is limited to 10 pieces due to the difficult crafting process. Paired with Shogun 18K nib.

Raden

Raden (mother of pearl) is the traditional craft commonly used in lacquerware, woodwork, by inlaying iridescent and delicate mother of pearl. The application of Raden on a fountain pen is known to be challenging especially since the surface of fountain pens is like a barrel, which means it is round instead of flat - making it more skill intensive to yield such breathtakingly beautiful results. Despite the natural complexity of the Raden, renowned artisan Nagaya Momoko decided to introduce her own unique style when crafting this limited edition pen.

Crafting Process

To begin the crafting process, the back side of Raden or Mother-of-Pearl was coated with pink and blue Urushi to create a reflection of the shade when light shines through. The next step is carefully cutting the delicate Raden into a small round shape, then affixing it to the pen's surface which is coated with black Urushi that is still wet to act as an adhesive.

Another crucial part is the finishing step, topping the whole surface with three to five layers of translucent Urushi to ensure no uneven textures remain in the final product before polishing it gradually to produce a soft luster. 

Sourin "蒼鱗"

Sourin, which loosely translates to Blue Scale, is inspired by the legendary Water Dragons (蛟 / Mizuchi) of Japanese mythology, which depicted them as unstoppable forces of nature found in rivers, lakes, and seas. The individual shells of Raden encompassing the pen were delicately shaped and applied onto the pen by artisan Nagaya Momoko as a testament to the limitless beauty that can be achieved with mother-of-pearl, as well as the overlapping scales of these mythical dragons. 

Just like how each Sourin Fountain Pen will be different from another, the Water Dragons of these stories were as varied in their behavior, their abilities, and of course, their appearances. Thus, we were inspired to call these pens "Blue Scale" because of how entracing it can be to watch the light's reflection over the Raden shells around the pen, reminding us of ancient poems of how people were speechless upon seeing the majestic form of a Japanese Water Dragon. 

The Artisan: Nagaya Momoko

Born in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Nagaya Momoko graduated from the illustrious Kanagawa College of Art before opening her own studio in the city of Izumo. 

When we learned of Nagaya Momoko’s personal philosophy, it was clear that it aligned with our own commitment to preserving traditional arts, which is why we hope our collaboration will be the beginning of more artworks that can raise awareness of these underrated techniques. 

As Nagaya Momoko explained, creating such a challenging pen to replicate is her artistic pursuit and pride as an artisan. The fact that every space of this black Urushi base pen is filled with Raden shells, makes this pen an artwork that highlights and tests an artisan's skill simultaneously, as there is no room for error. This Raden Fountain Pen represents months of artistry made possible only by a dedicated guardian of art.

Specifications

Base material: Ebonite

Art: Raden

Filling mechanism: Converter or Cartridge (European International Standard)

Nib: #6 Wancher 18K Solid Gold Shogun

Feed: Plastic

Compact air-tight cap: Prevents ink drying 

Packaging

Traditional Japanese Wooden Box + Pen Kimono + Instructional Materials + Converter + Cartridge