Nakaya Naka-ai Cigar Blue Rose with Raden: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I admit it. I'm a Nakaya nut. I'm certain that, if I had to get rid of all my fountain pens except for one, the one I would save would be my Nakaya Moon Cat. Fortunately, I don't have to make such a decision right now. Instead, I keep adding to my Nakaya collection.

My most recent acquisition is a Nakaya Naka-ai Cigar Blue Rose with Raden. I got it in a trade with my friend Rick Liebson (his username is whichwatch on Fountain Pen Geeks) who is the go-to guy if you want a Nakaya and can't find one at nibs.com or nakaya.org.

Nakayas come in a paulownia wood box lined in red velvet material. The pen itself is nestled in a kimono and cartridges and a converter are included.

The Naka-ai style is my favorite Nakaya model. I love the conical finials and how the barrel tapers gently at the bottom. Capped, the pen measures 150mm/5.9 inches. Uncapped it is 135mm/5.3 inches. It is not postable. At its widest, the barrel measures 15mm in diameter, but at the grip it is 11.9mm in diameter. It weighs only 18.6 grams uncapped and fully inked. It's the most comfortable Nakaya for writing, in my opinion--well proportioned and perfectly balanced. Like all Nakayas, it is a cartridge/converter fill.

The Blue Rose Raden is a unique and beautiful work of art. The base is heki-tamenuri urushi. Although usually heki-tamenuri finishes exhibit green highlights, for some reason this model does not. When you look at the finial or the grip section the "worn" areas are light brown rather than green.

The raden in the rose is blue, with green raden for the leaves and stem on the cap. A line of blue raden swirls around the barrel to the bottom, evoking either the rest of the stem or, as I prefer to imagine, a trail of rose petals.

This is a subtle raden design, which I find quite pleasing.

An additional detail on my Blue Rose is gold Kanji lettering. I was told it means something like "cherish." If anyone can confirm that for me, I'd be grateful!

Rick swapped out my 14k flexible stub nib from my Dorsal Fin 2 (review here) into this one. I love this nib--it's soft and springy and the stub offers its own line variation even without flex.

I can get more line variation with just a bit of pressure, but I'm afraid to spring the nib, so I haven't pushed it too hard. Below are some examples of writing on both Cosmo Air Light (review here) and Ayush Paper (review here). Ink spreads more on the Cosmo, so the line variation looks more pronounced than on the Ayush paper, but I like how the Ayush Paper (with its bit of texture and absorbency) makes me feel like I'm more in control of the nib.

Cosmo Air Light

Ayush Paper

Ayush Paper

A brand new Nakaya Naka-ai Cigar Blue Rose with Raden will set you back $1,350 at nibs.com (and that's with no special nib modifications). Plus, right now there are very few models in stock which means a six-month to a year or more wait. I'm happy to recommend you contact Rick or go to his booth at the Washington Pen Show where you can find up to seventy Nakaya models! Nope--I don't get a commission or anything for recommending Rick, but I've traded with him and bought several of his pens and he's great to work with (plus he can switch out Nakaya nibs for you).

(I purchased this pen with my own funds.)

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Nakaya Long Piccolo in Ama-Iro with a Cursive Italic Reversible Grind by Mark Bacas: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Back in May, I purchased a Nakaya Long Piccolo in Ama-Iro from my friend Rick Liebson. It came with a luscious BB nib. The Nakaya Long Piccolo is a body shape produced only for Aesthetic Bay, so nabbing one of these isn't easy. Plus, Nakaya stopped producing pens in the Ama-Iro finish in 2019. I was thrilled to add such a unique pen to my Nakaya collection.

The Long Piccolo is significantly longer than the regular Piccolo, measuring 5.9 inches/150mm in length capped as compared to 5.1 inches/130mm for the regular Piccolo. Uncapped, the Long Piccolo is 5.1 inches/130mm in contrast to the regular Piccolo, which is 4.6 inches/116mm. It's not a heavy pen at all, weighing only 19.7 grams inked and unposted (posting Nakayas is not recommended).

On the left is the Nakaya Piccolo Watching the Moon Cat. On the right is the Nakaya Long Piccolo in Ama-Iro.

Otherwise, the Long Piccolo has the same design elements as the regular Piccolo: conical finials, a body that tapers slightly outward in the middle, and a noticeable step-down from the barrel to the grip.

The Ama-Iro finish is gorgeous. It's sky blue, but with a grey cast that keeps it from being too bright.

The nib started as a double broad (BB). Unfortunately, I failed to take a photo of the nib before I had it ground. I did write with it in my journal, and, although it was smooth as silk, it was too broad and mushy for my handwriting.

I sent the pen to Mark Bacas and we discussed possible grinds. Originally, I thought the BB might make a good Predator nib. But Mark advised me to consider a reversible grind: double broad cursive italic with the nib in normal position, and fine with the nib upside down. Just look at this amazing nib now!

The BB cursive italic is smooth and forgiving yet offers a precise writing line with lots of character.

The reverse is also smooth, and the fine line it produces is the perfect width.

You can see the line width difference between the two sides here:

This nib is so much fun to use, and the ability to have a BB cursive italic and fine line with just a flip of the nib makes it versatile.

If you're interested in nib grinds that go beyond the normal options (Cursive Italic, Italic, Oblique, etc.), be sure to check out Mark Bacas's site. I now own two pens with his special nib grinds (a Predator and this Reverse Grind) and I keep both inked all the time.

(I purchased the Nakaya Long Piccolo and got the Reverse CI grind from Mark Bacas with my own funds.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu Blue with Elastic Nib: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Ahhhh. Nakayas. Nobody warned me that buying one Nakaya would lead to buying another and another and another. I honestly thought I might own one or two at most because they are freaking expensive. But then I scroll through the Nakaya listings at Nibs.com, swallow hard, contemplate the beauty, and rationalize why I must have another one.

The Nakaya Shinobu in blue is a pen I've coveted for a long time. I was entranced by the fern pattern carved delicately into the ebonite. One evening, depressed over signing my terminal contract as a professor, I pressed the "buy" button on the Shinobu at Nibs.com. The next day, remorseful, I sent an email, requesting that they cancel my order. But during the pandemic, no one was monitoring emails, and two days later, I received confirmation that my pen with its special elastic nib was ready to ship. What's a girl to do--send it back? Are you kidding???

All Nakayas come in a softwood box lined in red velveteen and wrapped in a pen kimono.

When I removed the Shinobu from its kimono, I gasped, stunned, as always, by the craftsmanship and beauty. I took the pen into our Florida Room to see it in sunlight. It glows as if it were lit from within.

The base color of the pen is black urushi. Nibs.com describes the crafting process:

Many stages go into making the special surface of this pen. First layers of urushi lacquer are applied over the natural hard rubber. Then the pattern is hand engraved into these layers followed by an application of blue pigment, first applied then removed leaving traces in the carved crevices.

Look at the exquisite details:

Even the grip is carved:

I was excited to find the Shinobu in the Neo Standard, a model I did not yet own. The Neo Standard is lightly tapered at both ends, and the barrel has a subtle curve.

This is a medium-sized pen, measuring 5.9 inches/150 mm capped and 5.3 inches/135mm uncapped. You cannot post the cap. Although the barrel at its widest is about 15 mm, the grip is only 10 mm. Ebonite pens are not heavy. The Neo Standard weighs 24 grams capped and 20.5 grams uncapped and inked. The pen is perfectly balanced in the hand.

I chose a medium soft, two-toned nib and requested the elastic modification. An elastic nib is created by cutting out notches on each side of the nib. This customization gives the nib a bounciness similar to a paintbrush. It lends the nib some line variation, but not as much as a flex nib.

Out of all the different nib styles, the elastic nib is my absolute favorite. It is like writing with a paintbrush, but with much more control. The nib makes writing soothing and pleasurable. It's meditation with a pen!

The base price for a Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue is $1,800. Yup. This baby is expensive. You will pay more for a two-toned vs. single-toned nib, and the elastic modification adds $100 to the total (_so_ worth it!)

I was lucky that Nibs.com had this pen in stock when I decided to click "buy." A pen like this can take twelve or more months to arrive if it is not in stock. I promise that it's worth the wait, though!

(I purchased this Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue with my own funds.)