Namiki Emperor Maki-e Fountain Pen - Elephant (Limited Edition)
Namiki Emperor Maki-e Fountain Pen - Elephant (Limited Edition)
The newest addition to the Namiki Collection is this 2022 Limited Edition Emperor called Elephant. The exceptional artwork featured on this fountain pen was designed by Mamoru Wakabayashi (若林 衛) of the highly revered Kokkokai group. It takes many months to expertly handcraft each Elephant pen and there are only 99 available worldwide.
The barrel artwork was designed using the traditional Maki-e lacquer work, including Taka, Togidsashi, and Shishiai Togidashi-Taka Maki-e techniques with stunning mother-of-pearl Raden elements. The Elephant has a classical Emperor vest-type body style and is enhanced with a traditional 18-karat gold, rhodium plated nib featuring the iconic silhouette of Mount Fuji, available in Medium or Broad nib sizes.
African elephants are the largest land mammals on the planet and live extraordinarily long lives, with an average life expectancy of 60 years. Elephants symbolize survival, prosperity, and life due to their intelligence, wisdom, patience, and fierce loyalty. Elephants are also symbols of family happiness, as they live in close-knit family units. Female elephants live together with their calves in a herd of three to ten until the calves become independent. African elephants grow in their mothers’ wombs until they are quite developed, weighing up to 265 lbs., and immediately join the herd at birth. Upon the calf’s arrival, all elephants in the heard recognize the newborn as family and protect both the calf and the mother. The herd shares information with each other such as where to find food and water, how to live on the move, and how to behave in a group of adults, acquiring social skills in the same way as humans do.
The vibrant scene of a sunset over the Savannah is depicted on the cap of the fountain pen using Togidashi Maki-e. The mother and calf, tree, and birds are brought to life through Taka Maki-e and with Raden inlay. On the front of the barrel, a single elephant is represented using Shishiai Togidashi-Taka Maki-e (Combined Raised and Burnished Maki-e), allowing the elephant’s strength and texture to be felt by the touch of the hand.
Also on the barrel is an egret bird – which are symbolically depicted for the beautiful, historical relationship that the egret birds share with elephants - egrets eat the parasites that live on the elephants’ skin, and elephants reciprocate by protecting the egrets from predators. This gorgeous Limited Edition Emperor fountain pen depicts an entire masterpiece of art on a single body of pen.
Each of the 99 Elephant fountain pens is presented in an elegant, limited edition wooden gift box with a gorgeous earthly green silk lining and a serial number plate. It is accompanied by a limited edition bottle of black ink (cap adorned with a gold egret), maroon polishing cloth, artisan card, and use and care guide.
- Brand
- Namiki
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Black
- Condition
- New
- Body Material
- Ebonite
- Cap Rotations
For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.
- 1.75
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Screw-cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled inks
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Eyedropper
- Grip Material
- Ebonite
- Nib Size
- Medium, Broad
- Nib Color
- Two-Tone
- Nib Material
- 18k Gold
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- No
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Diameter - Body
- 17.2mm (0.68in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 20mm (0.79in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 14.0mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 158.9mm (6.26in)
- Length - Cap
- 83.7mm (3.30in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 31.7mm (1.25in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 175mm (6.89in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 32g (1.13oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 16.7g (0.59oz)
- Weight - Overall
- 49.0g
Reviews
FAQS
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write!
Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking.
You can learn more with our Fountain Pen 101 video on Filling Mechanisms on YouTube.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How to Clean a Cartridge/Converter Pen
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What’s your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 60 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.