There is a particular magic to cherry blossoms seen after dark — pale petals glowing softly against the night sky, here one moment and gone the next. The Namiki Cherry Blossoms at Night (夜桜) captures this fleeting beauty in lacquer, preserved forever on a fountain pen of extraordinary craftsmanship.
Created by Namiki maki-e master Yumi, the pen features a brass-bodied No. 10 barrel adorned with cherry blossom petals rendered in togidashi maki-e (burnished maki-e) and raden (mother-of-pearl) inlay. The togidashi technique — in which layers of lacquer are built up and then polished flush — produces a luminous, glass-smooth surface where the petals seem to float within the lacquer itself. Raden accents add a subtle iridescent shimmer, evoking the way moonlight catches falling blossoms.
Craftsmanship
Created by Namiki maki-e master Yumi, signed work
No. 10 brass body — substantial weight and balance
Raden (mother-of-pearl) inlay accents for iridescent shimmer
Cherry blossom petal motif (夜桜 — night sakura)
Namiki No. 10 two-tone Fuji nib (18K gold)
A meditation on impermanence rendered in the most enduring of materials — the Namiki Cherry Blossoms at Night is a collector's piece of rare beauty and technical mastery.
