Namiki Emperor Crane Fountain Pen

 Along with the Namiki Goldfish, the Emperor Crane is the beginning of a new series (2009) of "flat top" pens. This "flat-top" design exploits a traditional series of materials including quail shell and abalone fragments.
With its mythical 1000 year life, the crane has been a symbol of longevity and good fortune. After World War II it also came to represent world peace. Here, with the pen as a kind of canvas, we see the cranes dancing against the dark, with raden, silver and gold enlivening the surface.
This is the finest example of quail egg shell employed in a design that we have seen. Notice the layered effect of the shell to the left in depicting the crane's wings The tail feathers, legs and beak are crafted in gold pigment.

"The Crane design incorporates four different Maki-e techniques, Togadashi-maki-e (burnished Maki-t), Taka-maki-e), Raden (abalone shells) and Rankaku (quail egg shells). Togidashi-maki-e is a method in which gilded patterns are dried, recoated with urushi, and finally burnished to a high sheen using charcoal. This style of Maki-e dates to the 7th century. The Taka-maki-e method is a Maki-e applied on patterns in raised relief and dates to the 12th century. The Raden and Rankaku lacquering styles used in order to create an overall feeling of depth and dimension. Execution of these techniques requires great expertise and experience."