The Universe of Writing Culture
Make no myth-take—
Namikiʼs Kylin is the stuff of legends more reasons why
handwriting is absolutely indispensable shop, shop, shop
Pen Worldʼs Holiday Gift Guide! DECEMBER 2012
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DECEMBER VOLUME 26, NUMBER 1
ON OUR COVER: Kylin by Namiki
71 Holiday Gift Guide
We make it fun to shop! Find gifts for everyone on your list.
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36 a monumental day
A new monument pays tribute to Platt Rogers Spencer—the Father of American Handwriting.
41 customary treatment
When it comes to your nib, Michael Masuyama will “Mike it Work.”
48 the medium is the message
The meaning of a handwritten message comes from the writing as much as the words.
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57 diplomatic relations
The German brand Diplomat celebrates its ninetieth birthday.
61 an idea of genius
Montegrappa’s new Brain pen pays tribute to our most complex organ.
65 animal magnetism
Cartier adds the Crocodile to its Menagerie collection of functional art.
68 from Russia, with love
Phoenix Lacquer Arts showcases the art of the Russian miniature painter.
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87 ink on the go
The cartridge/coverter system is—surprise!— not a recent development.
52 stylin’ with the Kylin
Namiki’s Kylin and two other new maki-e offerings are made to be beautiful—and to be used.
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departments WHAT’S HOT NOW
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08 view
PW—a life of its own
10 mail
our readers speak
12 news 20 now 28 date
people, places and events
new pens and other products
mark your calendar
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32 note 44 shop
pens make friends
Salzburg has it all
92 network 94 source 96 imho
classified advertising
guide to products and services
Dr. Allen R. Brown
32 20 20
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view A
its
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his magazine has a life and will of its own—I am absolutely convinced of it. Sometimes the staff and I decide on a theme for a particular issue—say, that it will have a special focus on ink, or stationery, or nibs or what have you—and then we make it happen. But sometimes themes develop spontaneously. That’s when I stand back in awe. All PW readers are aware that we are deeply interested in handwriting— we believe it is an indispensable component of a package of skills related to thinking and communicating. Our articles on handwriting have sparked more requests for reprints than any other kind of article we’ve done. These articles have, it seems, opened the door for our readers to address the topic from their own perspectives. In this issue you’ll see thought-provoking pieces on handwriting by Jeff Bohn and Dr. Allen R. Brown—readers turned writers—along with Deborah Basel’s account of representing PW at the recent unveiling of a monument to Platt Rogers Spencer, the father of American handwriting. And then there’s Cindy Zimmermann’s column about a special young friend who does most of her communicating through the handwritten note.
Life
of
Own
And when we found out about Montegrappa’s new Brain pen, we were over the moon. Not only is the Brain pen a fabulous writing instrument, but it comes with a booklet by renowned neuroscientist and author Dr. Richard Restak, with whom Montegrappa collaborated on the project. The booklet details the history of what humankind has learned about the brain and explores the brain-hand connection as it relates to handwriting. Restak offers a powerful case for handwriting, as you’ll see in our story “Brain Power.” In this issue you’ll also read about our sumptuous cover pen, the Kylin by Namiki—a pen that, despite its beauty and price tag, is made with every expectation that it will be used. We bring you the latest from the venerable Cartier and the relative newcomer Phoenix Lacquer Arts, and we congratulate Diplomat on ninety years of high-quality penmaking. And once again, we bring you the best in holiday gift giving in our guide beginning on page 71—with selections to please any pen lover. Happy Holidays from all of your friends at PW!
ens for Prosperity and Peace BY JIL MCINTOSH
pen can be beautiful to view, but that’s only half the story. It also needs to write beautifully. And that’s something Pilot/Namiki has achieved in three of its newest pens, combining flawless Japanese maki-e techniques with the writing quality for which the brand is known. The three pens are the Kylin Emperor seen on this issue’s cover, the Peach with Parrot Yukari Royale, and the limited edition Yabusame. Each is handcrafted by skilled artisans over the span of four months or more, using the designs of Namiki artists. Masaru Hayashi created the Kylin and Peach with Parrot, and Michifumi Kawaguchi designed the Yabusame. While the Yabusame depicts a traditional Japanese scene, the other two are Chinese patterns.
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“All of our pens are works of art,” says John Lane, general manager of Namiki. “These cannot be rushed at all, and they’re very time-consuming to create. I love to just sit in the room and watch these artists paint these pens.” The ancient technique uses lacquer, colored powders, gold and silver to create designs. A natural tree-based lacquer, urushi, was used by Pilot company founder Ryosuke Namiki to protect his hard rubber pens from humidity. In 1925, he patented the process and used it as the basis of decorating his pens with maki-e techniques. The Kylin, which employs Namiki’s large Emperor profile and retails for $10,500, is based on the Chinese legend of the kylin, a creature with the head of a dragon, antlers, the hooves
of a horse and the tail of an ox. It could live for 2,000 years, was exceptionally intelligent and could walk on grass without trampling the blades. It could spout flames from its mouth, but would only punish the wicked—and it protected the pure of heart. The creature had a long relationship with royalty and was said to have appeared to Emperor Huangdi and Emperor Yao. It was believed that catching a glimpse of one would bring prosperity and serenity, as well as a son: the birth of Confucius was said to be foretold by the vision of a kylin. The stunning Kylin Emperor pen involves three types of maki-e. Hira maki-e, which involves drawing the design in the wet urushi, sprinkling with powder, lacquering
Namiki’s depiction of the kylin includes the flames (in red) often seen in Asian art. The palm-like paulownia leaves seen on the cap are native to Laos and Vietnam and have been long cultivated in Japan and Korea.
again and then rubbing with lacquersoaked cotton, is used for some of the bamboo leaves. Taka maki-e, which creates raised designs, is used for the kylin figure, and both taka and hira maki-e are used for the paulownia leaves that surround the cap. Togidashi maki-e is used for the rocks and mist in the background, and for the gold tips at the top and bottom of the pen. This technique is similar to hira maki-e, but the lacquer is burnished with charcoal until it is glossy. Finally, the iridescent scales on the kylin’s chest are created with inlaid slivers of abalone, known as
raden. “Each one will be unique, because you’re not going to be able to get the same shells duplicated in each piece,” Lane says. The pen has an 18 karat gold nib and fills with an eyedropper. It is balanced to write without the cap, since it doesn’t post. This is extremely important, Lane says, because even though the company realizes that most buyers will never fill a pen such as this, it has to first and foremost be a top-quality writing instrument. “Our nibs and feed systems are unmatched,” Lane says. “In Japan, Pilot is known as an ink company first, and then they
work on the feed systems, and then the third step is to put something around it. The artists expect that anybody who buys that pen will write with it, because it’s all about the precision.” Naturally, that ability to write flawlessly is also a hallmark of the other two offerings. The Peach with Parrot pen celebrates two ancient Chinese stories. In the province of Kiangsi, a pearl merchant’s unfaithful wife was close to ruining him. A parrot capable of speech told him what was going on, and the bird became a warning symbol to all wives to be faithful to their husbands. The peach, 53
Front and back views of the Peach with Parrot
meanwhile, represents marriage, immortality and springtime. Legend has it that a peach tree that grew in the garden of goddess Hsi Wang Mu blossomed once in 3,000 years, and its fruit ripened over the next 3,000 years. Like the Kylin, the Peach with Parrot also requires three types of maki-e. Togidashi maki-e is used for the background, the mist, and the pen’s gold-powered ends. The parrot is created with taka maki-e, while taka, hira and togidashi maki-e form the peaches on the cap. The pen is part of the Yukari Royale series—smaller than 54
the Emperor but slightly larger than the Yukari. It uses a converter and retails for $6,750. It’s a limited production pen, as is the Kylin. “We only keep our patterns in the line for three years and then we retire them,” Lane says. “They’re all works of art and collectibles, and we want them to be treated as such. It keeps the line fresh.” The third pen, the Yabusame, is limited to ninety-nine pens worldwide. Of those, twenty are available in the United States, at $15,000 each. The design depicts the traditional Japanese
art of horseback archery: a rider at full gallop attempting to shoot a series of sequential targets. The sport dates from the Heian period (794–1185) and continues to the present day, having evolved into a ceremonial ritual performed at shrines to pray for peace and prosperity. The horse and rider, rendered in taka maki-e, are surrounded by springtime symbols of cherry blossoms and rice planting. This Emperor vest pen—a clipless style in the Emperor profile—is fitted with an 18 karat gold nib and uses a piston converter.
The packaging for the Yabusame includes an inden (a deer hide pouch)
Its presentation box is made of Japanese cedar, a wood that was used for actual Yabusame targets, with a lid design inspired by the targets. The presentation includes a deerhide pouch inspired by the shape of arrows and an ink bottle designed specifically for the pen. It’s a pen fit for the Namiki name, which Pilot reserves for its finest offerings. “This honors Ryosuke Namiki, and we put his name on our best pens,” John Lane says. “We are very aware of the image that we have, and it’s basically nothing but the best for our customers.” Visit namiki.com. 55
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Kylin in Mythology
he myth of the kylin—or qilin—originated in China but spread to various Asian cultures. Depictions of kylins permeate Asian art. The kylin has been described in various ways, but usually as having the head of a dragon, a body covered in scales, the antlers of a deer, the hooves of an ox or horse and the tail of a lion. The Korean and Japanese versions of the kylin bore similarities to deer. Often, depictions of the kylin include horns and flames. Despite their fearsome appearance, however, kylins were regarded as peaceful creatures that were so gentle they would not even crush grass with their hooves. They punished only the wicked and came to
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the defense of the righteous, spewing flames from their mouths. According to the legends, kylins could be seen only rarely and their appearances were associated with sages or wise rulers. As one legend had it, a kylin appeared to the pregnant mother of Confucius and coughed up a jade tablet on which was recorded a prophecy about the future greatness of the unborn child. Kylins were also supposedly seen in the garden of Huangdi—the legendary Yellow Emperor—and in the capital of Emperor Yao. Because kylins are peaceful—and choosy about their associates—their being in close proximity to Huangdi and Emperor Yao attested to those rulers’ greatness and benevolence.
Kylins are often compared to and associated with unicorns—possibly because they are sometimes depicted as having one horn in the center of their foreheads. Like the unicorn, it was rarely seen and catching a glimpse of one was thought to be a lucky omen. The kylin has also been associated with the giraffe. This connection appears to have begun in the early fifteenth century when the Chinese mariner Zheng He traveled to East Africa and brought two giraffes back with him, presenting them to Emperor Yongle as “kylins.” Of course the emperor knew of the link between kylins and sages—and he reportedly retorted that he was no sage and the animals were no kylins. But, alas, the association persists.
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