Pensieve: A Grail Pen in Photos

I wanted to post some photographs of my new grail pen, a Nakaya Naka-ai Housoge Kikyo Platinum that I received this week from Classic Pens. I will write a review after I’ve worked with it for a while, but it writes smoothly and is one of the most beautiful pens I own. So, here’s some eye candy.

The pen arrived in beautiful packaging: a light, wooden, red-velvet lined box with the pen swaddled in its kimono. There’s always a box of cartridges, but I never use them.

The Naka-ai style is an exclusive Classic Pens model. It is a cigar-style pen with a tapered end.

The Housoge Kikyo Platinum is engraved using the chinkin style. The pen itself is made of kikyo (blue) urushi, engraved, and then silver powder is painted  into the engraved lines and another layer of urushi is applied.

According to the Classic Pens Web site, “The Housoge floral pattern has its origins in the Tenpyo period, 729-749 CE, during which time Buddhism was becoming an officially recognized state religion in Japan. The Housoge represents an idealized hybrid “flower in paradise” as envisioned by the Pure Land Buddhism of the period.”

My Housoge has a rhodium-plated broad nib ground to a midi–cursive italic/stub. Because Japanese nibs are narrower than western nibs, my pen writes like a medium italic. And it is smooth with a lovely line exuding personality.

 

Enjoy the pictures, and soon I will write a full review.

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