Yakumo-nuri Byakudan - Black

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.

Black: The difference between the Yakumo-nuri Byakudan - Black and its Red counterpart is subtle, yet noticeable upon keen inspection. While the initial layer is Suki Urushi (transparent lacquer), a layer of Black Urushi is added next before a layer of Red Urushi. For the Yakumo-nuri Byakudan - Red, a layer of Red Urushi is applied first, leading to a darker vermillion shade as opposed to the Black.

The Origin of Yakumo-nuri

Yakumo-nuri is a legendary Urushi (Japanese lacquer) technique that originated in Matsue City of Shimane Prefecture. Despite its reputation for beauty, it is a relatively young art style, having been invented by Matsue lacquer artist Heiichi Sakata in the early Meiji period. The name ‘Yakumo’ was invented by Heiichi Sakata, who was reportedly inspired by the oldest Japanese poem - Yakumo Tatsu. 

In many mythologies, gods of war, love, life, and even death take center stage in these fantastical stories that had come into existence since before the written word. In what is surely representative of Japanese culture's characteristics, the gods  are often depicted as guides for mortals, even as they play their games of mischief. 

This is called the Dance of Illusion (幻想のダンス), which suggests that these gods use illusion to show hidden truths about the universe to the mortals. Okuninushi - the god of magic and medicine - uses Shimane Prefecture's Izumo Shrine as a sacred site to reveal the secrets of the universe to his followers. 

The idea of uncovering layers of beauty and wonder like layers of a magical illusion was the perfect allegory for the artistry of using layers upon layers of Urushi to craft a masterpiece. The fact that the source of the inspiration can be found in Shimane - the birthplace of Yakumo Urushi - further enhances the vision of the Yakumo-nuri Byakudan Fountain Pens. 

The Design

One of the most interesting aspects about Japanese Urushi (lacquer) is its thin, yet effective consistency. The thinness of raw Urushi enables artisans to apply dozens - if not hundreds - of layers upon their chosen objects without ever seeming too abundant. Within the traditional art of Urushi application, there are a variety of Japanese techniques that take advantage of these layers by coating the item unevenly to create an altogether different and gorgeous artwork. One such example of this is the Byakudan technique, which loosely translates to the word Sandalwood. 

What is Byakudan?

Byakudan refers to the technique of applying extremely fine gold leaf or gold foil onto an object that has been coated with Suki Urushi (transparent lacquer); after it has been flattened onto the surface area, additional layers of Suki Urushi is applied on top of the gold leaf until it has become completely inseparable from the pen. Most examples of the Byakudan technique have the gold leaf covering the entirety of the object, but artisan Nagaya Momoko achieves an ethereal beauty by not only separating the pieces of gold leaf to form asymmetrical patterns, but by also applying them onto the pens on entirely different layers. This is the reason why new shapes and patterns seem to appear before our very eyes the longer we look at the Yakumo-nuri Byakudan Fountain Pens. This creates an optical illusion for anyone who sees the pen, and it is an effect that will be further enhanced as the pen's Urushi ages and matures, thanks to the patented Yakumo technique. 

Thus, the design of the pen ensures that one can never tire of simply looking at the Yakumo-nuri Byakudan pens, and just like great Japanese whisky, it will simply get better over the course of several years. 

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. 

With the aim of preserving and developing the local traditional craft of Yakumo-nuri, she works on creating artworks that masterfully meld modern innovations with traditional Yakumo-nuri.

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. 

Specifications

Material & art: Ebonite, Yakumo Urushi, Byakudan-nuri

Filling mechanism: Converter or Cartridge (European International Standard)

Nib: #6 Jowo stainless steel, Wancher 18K gold

Feed: Plastic, ebonite black, ebonite red (ebonite feed is only compatible with #6 Jowo Stainless Steel)

Compact air-tight cap: Prevents ink drying issue

Packaging

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