Following the annual releases thus far of KAIHA, KOUEN, RYOKKYO, SEKKEI, SYOKEI, MOUKO and UMESAKI, the new colored ebonite fountain pen employing the “Chirashi (scattering)” technique equipped with our signature 21K gold Naginata Togi nib, is ENRYU, the 8th edition in the series.
The color theme for ENRYU is inspired by Hiroshige Utagawa’s masterpiece, “Dragon in Clouds (Unryu)”. Portrayed impressively in a large “Tanzaku (vertically long)” format, is a dragon with sharp claws and piercing eyes, iconic of the magnificent mythical creature, descending dramatically from the skies, commanding the flames and ominous clouds billowing around it.
Hiroshige Utagawa and “Dragon in Clouds (Unryu)”
Hiroshige inherited his family’s hereditary position as a fire warden at the age of 13, in the elite firefighting brigade for the Edo Shogunate. Before becoming a fulltime artist, he worked both as a fire warden and an Ukiyoe artist. Since ancient times, dragons were believed to have sacred power over rain and water, and were revered as deities of water. In the Edo period, the city of Edo was crowded with wooden structures, making fires grave threats. Having served on the front lines of firefighting, Hiroshige was well aware of the great dangers of fire. Therefore, his portrayal of a dragon calling upon the clouds to bring rain (symbolic of fire prevention), is very convincing and can be interpreted to be more than a simple depiction of a magnificent mythical creature.
A powerful dragon appearing from the dark skies, commanding the clouds and keeping flames in line – this is the image we wanted to express with our ebonite Chirashi (scattering) technique. On a matte black base, we scattered white to express the billowing clouds and gray ebonite to express haze, characterizing an air of tension. To accentuate, we used a vivid red having a hint of yellow to symbolize the flames at the mercy of the Dragon, further elevating the intensity of the expression.


SEKKEI, SYOKEI, MOUKO and UMESAKI