Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Soratame Fountain Pen

Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Soratame Fountain Pen PIZ-55000 #27

In 2010, the prestigious Japanese writing pen company Platinum launched one of the greatest milestones in its almost centenary history: the Izumo collection, a spectacular series of high-end fountain pens that was born with the intention of paying homage to the entrepreneurial businessman who founded the company at the beginning of the 20th century, Shunichi Nakata.

This majestic line of fountain pens was named for the aforementioned purpose after Izumo, its place of origin, a small town located in the Shimane prefecture that maintains deep ties with the world of writing, since, in addition to being the cradle of Founder of one of the three major fountain pen manufacturing brands in the Land of the Rising Sun, it is world famous for its manufacturing tradition of Japanese “washi” paper. This unique product, used in the fantastic creations of “Shodō” or Japanese calligraphy, in luxurious bibliographic editions and in restoration work of ancient documents in the main archives of the world, is made with artisanal methods and enjoys such recognition for its extraordinary quality and its incomparable benefits that its production was declared by UNESCO, in November 2014, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the aforementioned context, the Izumo collection was born, an impressive line of fountain pens that from the beginning has had an excellent reception among the public for its technical perfection, the richness of the raw materials used in its manufacture and, above all, for its unusual design, totally new in relation to the other models of the brand and which, as has been noted, has achieved such success that other models have been added to the original models that, maintaining the original forms of the series, have enriched it with new colors, materials and finishes.

One of the lines that currently comprises it is the Tamenuri, an exquisite repertoire of fountain pens that receives its name from one of the existing variants of coating with Urushi lacquer (“nuri”), an exquisite ornamental resource used since ancient times in the Far Orient for the embellishment of the most diverse objects with the precious varnish obtained from the refinement of the sap of the toxicodendron vernicifluum, better known as the “lacquer tree”.

The technique called Tame-nuri basically consists of superimposing successive baths of translucent lacquer on a base of pigmented Urushi lacquer. It is a complex and laborious manual process that requires drying in a humid, dust-free environment of each of the layers before applying the next and careful polishing work carried out by master craftsmen with extensive experience in these homeworks. The final result is a shiny coating, free of any stain or imperfection and perfectly protected from possible chemical or environmental attacks that transforms over time thanks to the oxidation of the lacquer, gaining transparency and making the color of the base appears more vividly.

This refined ornamental practice provides its attractive finish to the Platinum Izumo Tamenuri Soratame fountain pen, a captivating work in which the green color (“sora”) of the base layer subtly emerges at the transition points between the various sections that make up the piece, such as the upper and lower margins of the cap, the protuberance that serves as a finish to the body or, already in the grip section, flanking the thread.

The chromatic sobriety of the set is also enlivened by the golden sparkles emitted by the different decorative details that are distributed throughout the fountain pen, such as the thread located at the midpoint of the section, the slender ring located at its lower end or its curvilinear clip, in which, on a fine grid that recalls the company's primitive logo, the company's name is engraved.

In any case, if this exceptional creation is distinguished by something, it is by the unique appearance of the Izumo series, characterized by its elegant chain of graceful curves, a resource that, in addition to its undoubted contribution on an aesthetic level, facilitates its grip, adapting to the hand of the user and providing a magnificent writing experience to which its perfect balance also contributes despite being a fountain pen of notable dimensions and weight.

Special mention also deserves its extraordinary President nib, made of solid 18-karat gold with a beautiful rhodium mask in the shape of a “V” or arrow that gives it a striking two-color finish and a beautiful heart-shaped breathing hole. This is made with the typical Japanese point, somewhat narrower than its Western counterparts, and is made available to the public in a wide variety of thicknesses ranging from extra fine (EF) to very thick (C or BB), ranging from this way the most varied tastes.

The feeding system is, as is usual in fountain pens produced in Japan, by cartridges, although there is the possibility of transforming it into a piston one using the functional converters supplied by the company. An option that will, without a doubt, be liked by those fans who like the advantages and sensations provided by the charging ritual through an inkwell.

This impressive jewel of writing also has a fantastic presentation, as it is served in an exquisite paulownia wood box decorated with Japanese characters on its lid that shelters it inside, protected by a practical case or “kimono” of green color, along with a magnificent gift: a roll of “washi” paper handcrafted by Shinichiro Abe, grandson of the first manufacturer of this precious paper distinguished by the Japanese government as a “national living treasure”. A truly unique support to begin enjoying the smoothness and precision provided by this exceptional instrument.