(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Nakaya pens are all grail pens in my opinion, but there’s one model, in particular, that has always captured my imagination: the Dorsal Fin 2. To me, the pen mimics the soft curve of a Samurai sword more than it does a dorsal fin. But I’ve never much liked the Dorsal Fin 1 model, even though it more obviously evokes a dorsal fin. Dorsal Fin models (especially the Dorsal Fin 2) are in high demand and are constantly on backorder. When nibs.com announced last summer that they were expecting a shipment to arrive in the fall, I preordered one immediately and received it in October.
Nakaya pens come packaged in a softwood box with a red velvet-like interior. Included with the pen are a box of cartridges and a kimono. The pen is also supplied with a converter.
Heki-Tamenuri is a lovely urushi with organic, earthy tones of brown and green.
One of the reasons I chose the Dorsal Fin is because the model’s unique lines show off the underlying green urushi so well.
When you uncap the pen, you see even more of the green in the threads and grip section.
This pen is pure zen. It is perfectly balanced capped and uncapped, and it feels absolutely luscious in the hand. Urushi warms to your body temperature, so the pen becomes an extension of you. Writing with it is a simple pleasure.
For this Nakaya, I chose a medium-soft nib with added flex, ground to a stub by John Mottishaw. The Nakaya branding on the nib is gorgeous and the nib performs exactly as I hoped it would.
You can see the flex of the tines in this photo.
I inked the pen with Iroshizuku Tsukushi. I’ve found that Nakaya pens work especially well with Iroshizuku inks. This nib is wet and smooth. It is bouncy when writing without flex and it offers good line variation when you flex the nib.
The Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2 retails at $1,500 plus additional charges if you want nib modifications like mine. It’s obviously one of those pens you think about long and hard before purchasing. I’m absolutely pleased with my purchase. Not only is this pen a piece of beautiful art, it is one of my best writers as well.
You can purchase the Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2 from nibs.com. The Dorsal Fin 2 comes in various colors, including Heki-Tamenuri, Kuro-Tamenuri, Aka-Tamenuri, Midori-Tamenuri, Toki-Tamenuri, and various Ishime colors.
(I purchased this pen with my own funds after selling several beloved pens so I could afford this one!)
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