Namiki Urushi Emperor Black #50 Fountain Pen

Sobriety, timeless modernity, absolute elegance. The pure line of the Emperor model is simply dressed in a plain lacquer. Yes, but what a lacquer! The sublime one of Namiki, famous all over the world. In deep black or intense vermilion, the two emblematic basic colors of the traditional lacquer.

Roiro Urushi Shiage 

For millennia, Chinese had found a way to protect their precious objects from ambient humidity by covering them with Urushi, a natural lacquer from an essence found in Southeast Asia, Rhus Vernicifera, later imported by the Japanese on the eastern coast of the Japanese archipelago. Namiki has always used the best quality of Urushi, that of the male lacquered trees whose trunks are cut when they are 10 years old. The crop seldom exceeds 3 or 4 teaspoons per tree, and can only be carried out for a few very precise days. The complexity of this operation explains the rarity and value of the product.

Limited for a long time to black and vermilion, the color palette of the lacquer did not develop until the 19th century with the progress of chemistry. Each pen is covered with dozens of lacquer layers, each time polished with charcoal. A special oil-free topcoat gives it inimitable shine and softness. Because of numerous lacquering, polishing and drying sessions, 3 months are necessary to the development of this model.

• Body in Urushi black
• 18K Gold nib in large size #50