on saleNamiki Emperor Maki-e Fountain Pen - Murasaki-Shikibu

Stop reading now unless you are prepared to fall irreversibly in love with pens that cost more than mortgages. I know of nothing like an Emperor. Emperors are from an alternative Universe of audacious design and of psychotic devotion to perfection. Using them is a daily ecstasy for me. I go back to my other beloved pens to remind myself there is a place beyond even the extraordinary.Despite the price, I give them five stars for value, because I can't estimate the value. Emperors exceeds my every dream about them. I think to myself: The artist Shinsai summons Murasaki-Shikibu in her garden 1000 years ago, about to write 'Tale of Genji' on her little table, curtains and wisteria rustling in the breeze. With colored lacquer, gold flecks---is there a hint of raden on the curtain edges? his proud yet humble signature channels her: 'write more, write better.' Maki-e art on a legendary writing instrument about a legendary writer? Could anything be more suitable?Emperors are big, bigger than big, gigantic. The flange on the section holds your fingers a more-than-respectful distance from the paper. Like the warning on an electric fence, it says danger! keep off that nib and feeder! I have big, slow hands, and these pens fit me like no other. But if you have small or medium-sized hands, or you like to work a nib fast and close to the paper, try an Emperor out first at a show, a shop, a club meetup, or a friend's: the form factor might not appeal to you. Of course, these pens are worthy if all you ever do is look at them. Under the cold spotlight of a shadowbox, the kind that jewelers use to show off diamonds, the blue of the curtain-pulls, the purple of the wisteria, the oranges and indigos of the curtains, the reds and greens of her kimono really pop. Ignore all my comments about size and writing if you're just going to admire your Emperor, and I wouldn't blame you for doing just that.First, the mechanisms. The cap thread is smooth and satisfying. The cap spins until the threads reach their end, then, with gentle finger pressure, snug up one or two more frictional hops that feel like haptics on your smart phone: tactile feedback that you've got the cap on just right. At the other end, when the plunger is tightened one or two frictional hops, the artwork on the barrel aligns with the artwork on the twist-**** for additional visual feedback that you've tightened it just right. The section threads are perfectly smooth but more tight. There is an o-ring to compress when tightening the section, sealing the ink chamber. The ink capacity is three eyedroppers full; I haven't measured it in milliliters, but it won't run out in a full day of non-stop writing. The twist-**** at the back adjusts the plunger and thus the flow from dry to wet. The medium nib gives a little feedback from the paper when adjusted to dry, much less on full wet. The feel on paper throughout the flow spectrum is total confidence. It won't skip or fail a start even after ten minutes sitting open. I have Emperors in medium and broad; I find the medium to be a medium medium, not on the fine side. I find the broads to be very broad, like a double broad in a European or American pen. I don't have a fine-point and probably will never buy one. Fine-point pens, in general, are not for me. The mediums and broads are flawless in performance and spectacularly intimidating in appearance.Of course, I keep the Emperors away from irreverent inks (like shimmering) and I don't take them out when I don't have time to pack and unpack them carefully. I am still learning how to care for them; I keep them wrapped in the polishing cloths that come with them or inside soft cotton XL jewelers' gloves. The barrel fits in the middle finger of a glove and the thumb of the glove stretches snugly over the cap, so the pen cannot fall out of the glove without deliberate action. A daub of ink on the hem of the glove reminds me which pen is inside. I then further pack them in an improvised, tough, ugly case so as not to attract too much idle attention. Emperors at 175 mm or 7 inch don't fit in any ordinary case I own, and I wouldn't put them in contact with nylon, acrylic, polyester, or the hard side of leather. I might try the soft side of leather or a non-artificial suede, but only after asking an expert. For now, I have an adequate solution for carrying them.