The Mission of Maki-e Danitrio brings art to life

by Nancy Olson

When it comes to pen companies, Danitrio is relatively new on the scene, but has quickly come to the fore no doubt because of its passionate founder, Bernard Lyn. Based in California, the company has garnered an admirable reputation over the past decade for its lovely maki-e pens, which now are the focus of the brand. Lyn became fascinated by maki-e when he bought his first such pen in the late 1990s. Since that time, he has considered himself both a student and a fan, and even authored a book on the subject, “Maki-e, an art for the soul”, published in 2003.

Maki-e is an ancient Japanese art, dating to the eighth century. Its name means “sprinkled picture,” since images are often created by dusting gold or silver powder onto wet urushi lacquer.  By the turn of the twentieth century, Lyn estimates that there were about 20,000 maki-e artists and craftsman living in Japan. Today, there are probably no more than a few hundred due, in part, to a waning interest among young people who are less interested in devoting the time, effort and study it requires.

Following are Lyn’s thoughts on his company and the art form he so loves.

How would you describe your company?

Our company is a small one that produces only maki-e pens [which we are] selling to the world, mainly for art lovers and collectors.

How did your interest in maki-e begin?

I happened to see some maki-e pens many years ago, and I instantly loved the art without reason. I then started reading books related to it, and I decided to produce maki-e pens for myself in 1999.

Why do you feel it is so important to keep this art form alive?

The art has been neglected by the younger generations of Japanese because it is very time consuming and labor intensive, and therefore, the works are very expensive. But the art is so important for the Japanese people, since it has more than 1,400 years of history, and it is their own culture in the world. I think it should not only be kept alive, but it should be healthy forever.

What role do you play in the preservation of the art worldwide?

I have read many of the art-related books, and I wrote a maki-e book so our customers would fully understand why they have to pay so much money to buy it. And I believe I should work even harder to increase the number of art lovers and collectors who appreciate it, since I believe this is the best way to help the art stay vital.