Our fountain pens finished by urushi lacquer artisans
Each Nakaya fountain pen is carefully finished by a urushi lacquer craftsman.
By combining the craftsman’s skills with Nakaya’s know-how, the unique depth of color and texture of the urushi lacquer coating is achieved in a fountain pen.
We hope to preserve the traditional Japanese culture of urushi lacquer craftsmanship for future generations in the form of writing instruments that everyone is familiar with.
Activities to preserve urushi lacquer culture
We have concluded a partnership agreement with Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, to support the preservation and planting of lacquer forests. Ninohe City boasts the largest production of urushi lacquer in Japan, and its “Traditional Techniques for Inheriting Wooden Buildings of Traditional Architectural Craftsmanship” was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. We, in cooperation with Platinum Fountain Pen Co. Ltd., will continue to work for the creation of good poison oak resources.
The Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024 caused severe damage to our lacquerware production base in Wajima. We temporarily stopped accepting orders and caused great concern to our customers, but since the end of February of the same year, we have invited one of our craftsmen from Wajima to Tokyo and provided him with a work space.
Urushi lacquer painting is a culture that can only be sustained through the continuous work of craftsmen. We will continue to do what we can to keep the fire of the lacquerware culture burning and to carry on the tradition.
Nakaya’s Technique
Over the years, we has produced fountain pens using a variety of urushi lacquering techniques.
Here are some of them.
