Gozame Ankokushoku * Platinum Izumo Bamboo Weaving

Bamboo weaving is an ancient craft that is intimately tied up with Japanese life and tradition. Platinum is launching a series of fountain pens with a bamboo casing designed according to the traditional bamboo weaving technique, an artform that is intensive and time-consuming.

The bamboo is selected, boiled, split and lastly scraped to form wafer-thin strips. The Izumo requires 36 strips measuring 0.2 mm in thickness by 2 mm in width. No industrial tools are used in this delicate process. The craftsman uses only a special paring knife and a scraper.

The Platinum Izumo Gozame Ankokushoku, is woven in a traditional "Gozame" pattern. The bamboo is coloured with a black dye and finished with an Urushi top layer to preserve its aesthetic appeal. The down side of the body is threated so the cap can be posted in a nice way. This pen has an 18 kt gold nib and can be used with ink cartridges or a converter.

These pens come in an elegant Paulownia box with a pen kimono, an ink bottle, an ink cartridge and a converter.