Nawate II Furubihaku San, fountain pen * Sailor

Lacquer artist Toru Yoshida is the third generation and head of 'Shikko Yoshida', an urushi lacquer atelier in the Aizu Wakamatsu region. He does not limit himself to the aizu-nuri lacquering technique, but fuses various forms and techniques that best suit each lacquerware he crafts. His ingenuity has given birth to Sailor’s second Nawate fountain pens in Furubi-haku nuri, a Traditional Japanese lacquer Art.

 Each Sailor Nawate Furubihaku fountain pen has an ebonite body, covered with either silver, gold, or copper foil and sealed with urushi. Each pen has a unique pattern.

 The striation that flows vertically through the wooden cap gives it the visual effect of being elegantly long and provides a stable grip for capping and uncapping. At the same time it provides a kind of stopper to prevent the pen from rolling over. It is a masterpiece of beauty.

The renowned Aizu-nuri technique of Urushi Lacquer Art was born in the Aizu region of the western part of Fukushima Prefecture and has been popular since the Edo Period (1603-1898). The humid local climate, typical of basin-shaped valleys, is ideal for handling urushi. Everything from growing Japanese Lacquer trees for urushi sap, to decorating lacquerware to the finish all within the Aizu region, created a holistic industry that continually pursued technological innovation.

The Aizu Nuri industry dates back to the 1573-1592 (Tensho period), encouraged by Ujisato Gamo, the feudal lord of Aizu. Being close to Edo, Aizu-nuri lacquerware began to be exported overseas towards the end of the Edo period.