Dani-Trio

Founded in 1974, Dani International Corporation has introduced a number of interesting writing instruments during its relatively short history. The products are crafted from a variety of materials, including cellulose acetate, mother-of-pearl and buffalo horn, but it is the brand’s maki-e pens for which it is perhaps best known. A variety of recent limited edition pens from three collections are stunning examples of this classic art. Designs within the  Mikado, Densho and Takumi collections range in price from $1,000 to $10,000. The names of the collections mean, respectively, emperor, tradition and skill.

Bernard Lyn, founder of Dani, is both a student and devoted fan of maki-e, an art form dating from eighth-century Japan. “In 2000, I bought a maki-e fountain pen and became very interested in the art,” Lyn explains. Maki-e literally means, “sprinkling [or sowing] paintings.” Thus, sprinkling gold or silver powders—as well as incredible lacquer artistry—is characteristic of the work. At the turn of the twentieth century, there were perhaps 20,000 or more maki-e artists and craftsmen. Today, Lyn estimates that there are no more than a few hundred in all of Japan. He opines that the long years of study and complicated processes required to master it do not attract many young people. Thus it is becoming more expensive to find the expertise. But this state of affairs was no deterrent. “I decided to go on with it, simply because I love [the art] very much,” he says.

The Mikado collection, offers the largest-profile pen among Dani’s products. “It has one of the most spacious surfaces for maki-e a pen could have,” says Lyn. Each pen is signed and numbered; Mikado has an oversized 18-karatgold flexible nib, and each pen is eyedropper-filled. “The big advantage of having and eyedropper-filled fountain pen is the large ink capacity,” says Lyn, adding that it offers about four times the capacity of a converter. It takes about three-and-one-half months, on average, to complete one pen from the Mikado collection. Lyn translates this to “245 ‘man months’” for the 70 designs offered. Thus, he introduced the Densho collection that is smaller in size and lower in price, but exhibits many of the exclusive characteristics of the Mikado collection. Densho is also crafted from ebonite and though it provides a smaller canvas, the artistry it reflects is nonetheless breathtaking. It, too, is eyedropper filled and has an 18-karat gold nib. The Takumi collection is also crafted from ebonite and exhibits more simple examples of genuine Hira Maki-e, as does the Nami-Nuri collection by Kogaku san, introduced in late 2006.

There are no Locations for this Brand