Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Akatame Fountain Pen

Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Akatame PIZ-55000 #28

In 2010, one of the most successful collections in the almost centenary history of the legendary Japanese writing pen company Platinum was launched: the Izumo series, a majestic repertoire of high-end fountain pens that aimed to deliver an emotional tribute to Shunichi Nakata, the entrepreneurial businessman who founded the brand at the beginning of the 20th century.

For this purpose, this luxurious line of fountain pens was named after its birthplace, Izumo, a small town located in the Shimane prefecture, southwest of the island of Honshū, which is closely linked to the world of writing. Therefore, beyond being the birthplace of the founder of one of the three main Japanese fountain pen producing companies, it is known worldwide for its important tradition in the manufacture of “washi”, the famous Japanese paper used in the beautiful creations that make up the “Shodō” or Japanese calligraphy and, since more recent times, in artistic works of all kinds, luxury bibliographic editions and laboratories for the restoration of ancient documents. This is made with traditional raw materials and methods and, due to its high quality and extraordinary properties, it enjoys a very high esteem which has led to the declaration by UNESCO, in November 2014, of this craft as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In this context, the Izumo collection arises, an ambitious line of fountain pens characterized by the use of very rich materials in their manufacture, the smoothness of writing and the technical perfection typical of Platinum products and, above all, by their unusual design, surely the main cause of an impressive reception among the public that has motivated the gradual appearance of new models that, maintaining the essential shapes of the series, have enriched it with new shades and finishes.

This is the case of the Tamenuri line, an extraordinary set of writing pens that rescues one of the many variants of the ancestral decorative practice of coating with Urushi lacquer (“nuri”), the precious natural varnish obtained from the refinement of the sap of the “ lacquer tree”, the toxicodendron vernicifluum, and which has been used in the Far East since time immemorial for the protection and ornamentation of the most varied objects.

Broadly speaking, the Tame-nuri technique consists of the application, on a base of pigmented Urushi lacquer, of successive layers of translucent lacquer that are painstakingly polished by hand by master craftsmen with many years of experience. The final result of this laborious process, which requires drying in a humid and dust-free environment of each of the baths before applying the next, is a shiny surface, extremely soft to the touch because it is free of any type of imperfection or roughness, perfectly protected from environmental factors and corrosion, and over time, thanks to the oxidation of the external layer, it will gradually gain transparency, allowing the color of the base layer to emerge with greater intensity.

This is the decorative technique that gives its characteristic finish to the Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Akatame fountain pen, a delicious creation in which, introducing a refined chromatic counterpoint to the general sobriety of the whole, the red color (“aka”) of the base layer of Urushi lacquer delicately appears at the joining points of the different elements that make up the piece: the ends of the cap, the grip section and the head or the slight projection existing on the body.

These beautiful notes of color are completed by the different golden ornamental elements that are distributed at various points of the pen, such as the stylized ring at the end of the section, the thread located at its midpoint or its attractive clip, in which it is located. engraved the name of the company on a beautiful grid that evokes, in a schematic way, its primitive logo.

However, its distinctive feature is, without a doubt, the characteristic profile of the Izumo series. A harmonious succession of delicate curves that give it an appearance of immeasurable elegance while adapting perfectly to the user's hand, facilitating its grip and allowing extremely pleasant writing.

It is a fountain pen of generous dimensions that will delight fans who like robust writing instruments, with a notable but perfectly balanced weight that results, once again, in the amazing comfort of its handling.

Its magnificent President nib is made of solid 18-karat gold and features a charming heart-shaped vent and a fascinating two-tone finish obtained by applying a rhodium mask in the shape of a “V” or arrow. It is available in a wide range of points ranging from extra fine (EF) to very thick (C or BB), all of them with the characteristic Japanese thickness, somewhat thinner than their Western equivalents.

The loading system, as in practically all Japanese fountain pens, is cartridge-based, and can be transformed into a piston system using the practical converters manufactured by Platinum by those fans who prefer to enjoy the advantages of automatic loading. through an inkwell.

Finally, we should talk about its magnificent presentation, as it is served in an exquisite paulownia wood box decorated with Japanese characters that houses inside, protected by a practical green cover or “kimono”, this true jewel accompanied by a fantastic gift: a roll of “washi” paper handcrafted by Shinichiro Abe, grandson of the first paper maker designated by the Japanese government as a “national living treasure”. A great detail to start enjoying the magnificent features of this exceptional writing instrument.