Platinum Izumo Tagayasan Gloss Fountain Pen

Platinum Izumo Tagayasan Gloss PIZ-50000 #21

The prestigious Japanese writing pen brand Platinum decided to pay, in 2010, a respectful tribute to its founder, Shunichi Nakata, with the launch of the Izumo collection, a fascinating line of high-end fountain pens named after the birthplace of the enterprising businessman who had the happy idea of ​​creating the company at the beginning of the last century.

This small Japanese town located in the Shimane prefecture, southwest of the island of Honshū, has close ties to the world of writing, since, beyond being the birthplace of the founder of one of the three large Japanese fountain pen producing firms, is internationally famous for its long tradition in the manufacture of “washi”, the precious Japanese paper whose artisanal manufacture has been declared by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2014 and which, due to its unique properties and extraordinary quality It serves, among many other uses, as a support for the beautiful creations of “Shodō” or Japanese calligraphy and the most luxurious bibliographic editions.

In the aforementioned context are located the origins of the Izumo series, a magnificent repertoire of fountain pens that was born with the vocation of occupying a place of honor among the models manufactured by Platinum and, even more so, in the general scope of the market. To achieve this, special care was taken in the choice of materials and a magnificent design characterized by its tremendous originality, which, added to the exceptional performance of the Platinum products, resulted in a great reception and a success of such magnitude that, with the passage of time, various pieces have been incorporated into the original models that, while maintaining their essential attributes, have enriched them with new finishes and colorations.

Among the latter is the Tagayasan line, which is made available to the public in two versions (glossy and matte) and is basically distinguished by the use of black Bombay wood in its production. This noble wood is famous for its dark tone and, above all, for its high density and hardness, particularities that have earned it a nickname that is certainly clarifying, since the term “Tagayasan”, by which it is also known, can be translated as “ hard as an iron sword”. Due to its great solidity and resistance, it is used, among other things, for interior decoration and the manufacture of furniture, canes or wooden swords, although the aforementioned virtues represent, in return, a significant obstacle when working with such a delicate material like wood.

This is subjected to a meticulous drying process for 20 days to eliminate any trace of moisture before undertaking the manufacturing of the Platinum Izumo Tagayasan Gloss fountain pen, a spectacular hand-carved and polished piece that, despite the varnish that gives it its wonderful glossy finish, leaves the wood grain completely visible and allows you to enjoy contemplating it while writing.

With its total length of 16.4 centimeters and weight of 38 grams, it is a fountain pen of considerable dimensions, the largest and heaviest in the collection. However, thanks to its unbeatable balance and the magnificent ergonomic conditions provided by the characteristic curved profile of the Izumo series, despite its notable size, it fits perfectly in the user's hand, facilitating grip and turning its handling into an experience. extremely comfortable and pleasant.

Contrasting chromatically with the natural beauty of the wood and its lacquered surface are the resplendent golden ornamental details that are distributed throughout this delicious creation. A friendly competition that is evident in the delicate ring located at the lower end of the section, the voluminous ring that contains the closure thread and, above them, its elegant clip, adorned with a beautiful engraved decoration in which , on the slender grid reminiscent of the primitive Platinum logo, the name of the company is arranged in capital letters.

No less impressive is its extraordinary President nib, a striking element made of solid 18-karat gold with an attractive two-tone finish obtained by applying a rhodium mask in the shape of a “V” or arrow and a beautiful heart-shaped vent that ensures a constant and generous flow of ink. It has the usual Japanese thickness, somewhat thinner than that of its Western counterparts, and is made available to the public in fine (F), medium (M), thick (B) and very thick (C or BB) points.

As is usually the case in practically all Japanese fountain pens, the charging system chosen is the cartridge one, although it is true that, thanks to the practical converters supplied by Platinum, this can be transformed, in a matter of seconds, into a plunger, allowing users who wish to enjoy the undeniable advantages provided by any autofilling system.

This wonderful fountain pen is presented, protected by a practical green “kimono” carefully placed on a velvet bed of the same color, inside a beautiful paulownia wood box decorated with the name of the collection written in artistic Japanese calligraphy that It also includes a magnificent gift consisting of a roll of “washi” paper handcrafted by Shinichiro Abe, grandson of the first manufacturer of this paper designated by the government of Japan as a “national living treasure”. A nice detail to start enjoying the excellent features of this impressive writing pen.