The
Namiki Yukari series is a wonderful group of Maki-e pen. No doubt of
that! But the Yukari Royale collection.... They manage to take the boundaries
of current production Maki-e pens and stretch them to a significant
degree.
The Yukari Royale are first of all a slightly larger pen than the Yukari series. This immediately separates them from the Yukari series, which in terms of size are nice enough pens, but not quite large enough to compare in terms of feel and heft with pens such as the Pelikan M800 or the Montblanc 146. In fact, I do believe that the Yukari Royal would make a wonderful addition to Namiki's line-up even without a shred of Maki-e applied to cap or barrel.
Of course the Yukari Royale series does have Maki-e, and like all of Namiki's Maki-e pens, it's very well done. Other scenes chosen for inclusion have been the Kingfisher, Night Scene with Pavilion, Fall Flowers, and Court Carriage in Wisteria. The artwork is produced by masters of the Maki-e art, and each piece is signed by the artist.
In the case of the Yukari Royale Egret, the decoration consists of the depiction of a Snowy Egret on the barrel. Additional detail is shown on the cap, foliage and background details, all of which are backed by sprinkled gold dust which gradates from complete coverage at the cap and barrel end to very light coverage in the center (Bokashi Maki-e). One of the principle reasons that good Maki-e is so expensive is that it requires a lot of time to produce the work properly. In addition, the best artists are very sought after, making their work much more valuable, and driving the price upwards accordingly.
The Egret itself is depicted using both Togadashi Maki-e, giving the feathered body a slightly three dimensional appearance, and Taka Maki-e for the background details. As you might expect from Namiki, it is exquisitely done Maki-e work, and this piece easily stands on it's own as a work of art. I would consider the Maki-e work on the sample we received to be the equal of any Maki-e work I've seen. It's simply perfect in execution. It also helps that the design is a very simple and clean one that lends itself to the shape of the pen easily.
Speaking
of the pen, the Yukari Royale itself is a pretty impressive pen. It's
large enough to be seen as a "full size" pen, and being built
on a metal based cap and barrel, it has a notable heft.
I didn't find it to be excessively heavy, but it is definitely heavier than a comparably sized resin or ebonite pen. The rounded shape of the pen makes it balance well in the hand.
The pen is filled via a cartridge converter mechanism, Namiki's excellent pump style converter, which I love. The nib is the "#10" sized nib, two tone plated with an attractive design depicting a mountain.
The Yukari Royale series are great pens in and of themselves. When you add in the wonderful Maki-e artwork adorning them, they become even more so. As with all high end Maki-e pens, these are really more works of art than utilitarian writing instruments, although, given Namiki's excellent quality, I'm sure they would prove to be more than capable in the role of simply putting ink on paper.
For those of us who cannot afford the price tag, they will remain as simply works of art to be appreciated from afar. A role to which they are no less suited, believe me!
copyright 2004 William Riepl