Namiki Rollerballs

Momijigari, the period when Japanese people like to contemplate the intense glow of the maple leaves. This pen with its coppery atmosphere for an autumnal theme caters to this cherished time by Japanese people,

Meaning of the design

There are more than 200 maple species in Japan. The flaming of this magnificent tree, whose leaves can pass from almost a purple vermillion to a lighter orange, begins in mid-September in the north, in Hokkaido, and ends at the beginning of December in the south, on the island of Kyushu. This phenomenom, known in Japanese as Momiji, fascinates Japanese people, who follow it with the same attention as the blossoming of the cherry trees in the spring, and attracts many Japanese and foreign tourists to the places where it is most remarkable, especially around Kyoto. 

Around that time, Japanese people like to go to temples or to the mountains full of maple trees, to picnic under the trees, admire them and photograph this sublime spectacle. This custom dates back to the Heian era (794-1195). Long reserved for the Japanese aristocracy, it extended to all the Japanese people during the Edo period (1603-1868).

Used techniques

The autumn leaves and the pagoda are highlighted with the Togidashi Hira Maki-E technique.

A base of deep black, oil-free lacquer (roiro) is sprinkled with gold and silver in order to create the pattern. Then it is completely covered with Urushi lacquer. After drying and polishing with charcoal, the pattern reappears.

Details

• Artist: Michifumi Kawaguchi
• Model: Yukari
• Year of introduction: 2009

These bamboo stalks with their aerial foliage, declining assorted subtle shades of soft greens, curl around this Yukari, giving it a timeless elegance.

Meaning of the design

Amazing bamboo! With its finely cut leaves that contrast with the vigor of its stalks whose astonishing robustness matches only their fabulous flexibility, it has been for thousands of years one of the most reliable building materials and still is. Its growth rate can be up to 1m per 24 hours. Its longitudinal and vertical mechanical strength is greater than that of steel. It resists better, on average, than wood to the solvency of water, is stainless, impermeable and rot-proof. This is why it is use among other things in reinforced concrete. All these exceptional qualities make it a good symbol of progress and success. It also represents adaptability and righteousness because it bends but does not break.

Used technique

The beauty of bamboo and the finesse of its leaves is particularly well highlighted by the delicate technique of Togidashi Maki-e, which is the most ancient technique. Once the drawing is finished, it is covered with a thin layer of lacquer, which completely masks the lines. By finely polishing the surface with charcoal, the drawing reappears, the talent of the artist making the surface remain smooth without any protuberance being detectable to the touch.

The technique is executed by experts within the field of Maki-e painting. A pen can take months of craftmanship, translating into extraordinary and intricate designs set against a dark lacquered surface.

Details: 

• Artist: Mamoru Wakabayashi
• Model: Yukari
• Introduction Year: 2009
• Cap: Screw-cap

Here is a touching scene of aquatic life. Two turtles and their baby frolic in the water among the rocks and water lilies.

Meaning of the design

Turtle is one of the four celestial, supernatural or auspicious animals of ancient China, with the dragon, the qilin and the phoenix. In Japan it is said that cranes live a thousand years and turtles 10,000 years. Turtle is a symbol of longevity and is the subject of many legends. Like that of Minogame, who has lived for 10,000 years, covered with a coat of seaweed at the bottom of a lake, or that of Urashima Tarō, a fisherman who after rescuing a turtle, daughter of the king of the ocean, was rewarded by a submarine stay at Ryūgū-jō Palace, with the turtle turned into a pretty princess. Suffering from homesickness, he was allowed to return home with a box that he was not to open. Discovering that more than three hundred years had passed since his departure and that no one knew him, he was desperate. He then opened the box, releasing a cloud of white smoke and began to age instantly. The box was containing his real age.

Used techniques

The technique of Togidashi Taka- Maki-e is also known as "Shishiaï Togidashi-Maki-e". This is the highest level of Maki-e and uses very advanced techniques. Urushi and coal powder are used to make the pattern appear in high relief. The Taka-maki-e process then makes it possible to create a three-dimensional pattern with an animated depth.

The technique is executed by experts within the field of Maki-e painting. A pen can take months of craftmanship, translating into extraordinary and intricate designs set against a dark lacquered surface.

Details: 

• Artist: Seiki Chida
• Model: Yukari
• Introduction Year: 2009
• Cap: Screw-cap

In declining the typical themes of Japanese culture, Kokkokai school imposes its style with a delicacy and a poetry that has brought the brand to and keeps it in a world apart. This is the final touch that gives Namiki pens their unique charm.

The Kokkokai movement emblem of Namiki

The Kokkokai Artisan Group was formed to research, develop and perfect the quality of Namiki's Maki-e pens. Created around Gonroku Matsuda, considered the greatest master of all time in the art of Maki-e, Kokkokai means « Light of the nation », a term given by the founder of Namiki to the technique of Maki-e. The Kokkokai group is composed of Namiki craftsmen and outside artisans.

Each member has different techniques but they all share the same vision of developing and pursuing a traditional art and craft. The Kokkokai craftsman's technique is passed on from generation to generation. It is Gonroku Matsuda who has adapted the ancestral techniques of Maki-e to his time.

Appreciated in his own time, he won many distinctions including the supreme title of National Living Treasure.

Used techniques

The design is created using coloured Urushi lacquers and raw lacquer, and this is coated with a sprinkling of gold powder. After drying, several additional layers of lacquer are applied. When these layers are hardened, the pen is burnished to give a deep lustrous gloss.

In declining the typical themes of Japanese culture, Kokkokai school imposes its style with a delicacy and a poetry that has brought the brand to and keeps it in a world apart. This is the final touch that gives Namiki pens their unique charm.

The Kokkokai movement emblem of Namiki

The Kokkokai Artisan Group was formed to research, develop and perfect the quality of Namiki's Maki-e pens. Created around Gonroku Matsuda, considered the greatest master of all time in the art of Maki-e, Kokkokai means « Light of the nation », a term given by the founder of Namiki to the technique of Maki-e. The Kokkokai group is composed of Namiki craftsmen and outside artisans.

Each member has different techniques but they all share the same vision of developing and pursuing a traditional art and craft. The Kokkokai craftsman's technique is passed on from generation to generation. It is Gonroku Matsuda who has adapted the ancestral techniques of Maki-e to his time.

Appreciated in his own time, he won many distinctions including the supreme title of National Living Treasure.

Used techniques

The design is created using coloured Urushi lacquers and raw lacquer, and this is coated with a sprinkling of gold powder. After drying, several additional layers of lacquer are applied. When these layers are hardened, the pen is burnished to give a deep lustrous gloss.