Namiki is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 of fountain pens and other writing equipment. Namiki is most famous for their maki-e

Maki-e

is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a makizutsu or a kebo brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian Period and blossomed in the Edo Period...

 (lacquer

Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...

 work) designs on urushi

Urushiol

Urushiol is an oily organic allergen found in plants of the family Anacardiaceae, especially Toxicodendron spp. . It causes an allergic skin rash on contact, known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis...

.

Overview

Namiki is the surname of Ryosuke Namiki, the founder of the Pilot

Pilot Pen Corporation

is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan. It produces writing instruments, stationery, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States and the largest in Japan...

, named as Namiki Manufacturing Company until 1938 when it becomes Pilot Pen Co., Ltd.. The brand name Namiki came to fame in the early 20th Century when Dunhill retailed in the west the Maki-e

Maki-e

is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a makizutsu or a kebo brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian Period and blossomed in the Edo Period...

 pens produced by Pilot

Pilot Pen Corporation

is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan. It produces writing instruments, stationery, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States and the largest in Japan...

 under the brand Dunhill-Namiki. This partnership has continued to the present day (occasionally Namiki makes a Limited Edition for Dunhill) although Namiki has always been owned by the Pilot

Pilot Pen Corporation

is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan. It produces writing instruments, stationery, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States and the largest in Japan...

.

Namiki's higher ranges include the Emperor, Yukari Royale, and Yukari, and this is the brand used by Pilot

Pilot Pen Corporation

is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan. It produces writing instruments, stationery, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States and the largest in Japan...

 to sell their the high valued Maki-e

Maki-e

is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a makizutsu or a kebo brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian Period and blossomed in the Edo Period...

 pens all over the world.

Namiki fountain pens and non-disposable Pilot

Pilot Pen Corporation

is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan. It produces writing instruments, stationery, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States and the largest in Japan...

fountain pens share the Pilot/Namiki proprietary ink refill cartridge, with inks available in several colors. Converters of both the piston type and squeeze type are also available to allow Namiki and Pilot fountain pens to be filled from ink bottles.

The curve-sided Namiki ink bottle has an inner inkwell to keep the nib steady during filling and also to allow almost the last few drops of ink to be taken from the bottle into a pen.

External links

• Namiki, the corporate site Namiki Maki-e fountain pen, the Japanese corporate site at Pilot Corporation
• More about Vanishing Point Pens from Penpedia.com
• Namiki fountain pen
• Kamakura Pens
• Velvet Pens