Umesaki, Hiroshige Utagawa, Naginata Togi Ebonite fountain pen * Sailor

Sailor KOP Umesaki limited edition is the 7th release in the ebonite series of fountain pens. A masterpiece of traditional Japanese art inspires the body's design. Umesaki is Sailor’s interpretation of "Plum Estate in Kameido" by Hiroshige Utagawa as published in the "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" series of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

 Sailor Pen’s Umesaki “Plum Estate in Kameido” features a pink base and the use of white scattered ebonite material to represent plum blossoms, as well as grey and black to evoke the tree trunk and branches. It features Sailor Pen's special 21K gold KOP Naginata Togi nib.

Hiroshige created this piece in his last year of life, and during the Edo period, it travelled overseas. It was reproduced by Vincent van Gogh in 1887 in a work titled “Flowering Plum Tree”, a testament to how Hiroshige’s art was deeply admired not only in Japan but across the world. Ingenious use of perspective gave this piece spatial depth, creating a rich visual experience.

Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858) was a renowned Ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period. Born in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1797, he trained in the Utagawa school of Ukiyo-e art, beginning with portraits of Kabuki actors and Samurai warriors. Later on in his career, he was influenced by Hokusai Katsushika and turned to landscape portrayal. His lyrical expressions of landscapes published in compilations such as “The 53 Stations of Tokaido”, “The 69 Stations of Kisokaido” and “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, created a new genre of Ukiyo-e art.