About Namiki Pen
There are already many historical description of Namiki Pen Manufacturing Company available in maki-e reference books. Here, let me provide a different angle of how Namiki Pen had evolved since the last few decades since the late 1980s till now. It provides an important reference for Namiki Pen collectors in their research and gathering of information.
Modern Namiki Pen was introduced outside of Japan,using the single name, Namiki again, with a 300 pieces limited edition of White Tiger c.1996 to the US market. It had mesmerized the pen world with this tiger motif made by renown maki-e master, Mr. Kyusai Yoshida 吉田久齋.

Namiki Pen White Tiger Limited Edition
Success of this pen was followed by various sizes of Limited Edition pens being introduced to the world pen market. Usually, it is the Yukari size pens starting from Panda, Bald Eagle, King Cobra, Owl and ends in 2003 with the Yukari Seahorse Limited Edition pen. These are labeled “The Endangered Species”; and truly it is all endangered these days 🙂 There are other sizes of Emperor Namiki pen (Balance shape and flat top flat bottom pens), Balance shape Yukari Royal size pens made since then.
What is interesting in 2015, however, is the reproduction of the Namiki Yukari size Kabuto Limited edition pen. Seems that life comes a full cycle and now it is back to the Yukari size and the quantity is about half of what it started closed to 20 years ago. So Yukari size is back in Vogue again!!
There are various very unusual Yukari size Namiki pens which we had come across:
On first glance, it looks ordinary just like the normal edition (gold sakura petals) of Yukari Sakura pen. But do notice that these pieces had silver maki-e sakura petals which made it unusual.
Another Namiki Pen that was made for the Northern Islands, Hanamasu, the regional flower of Hokkaido is another beauty:
Last but not least, one of the favourite Namiki pen many of our clients would want – Born Free 門出. In this really nice piece of Pilot Namiki Pen, you can see many tiny new born turtles with their still shinning backs (done in super high relief lacquer) struggling to reach the open seas for freedom. What a Liberation ! Against the nashiji background showing the strong contrast of the new born turtles against the evening golden sand beach.
These are some of the most interesting Namiki pen collection which many have probably not heard about and far fewer possess.
For more information, please contact us at sales@elephant-coral.com or visit us at 333A Orchard Road, #03-03 Mandarin Gallery Singapore 238897. www.elephant-coral.com