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Here is a quick review of my new Nakaya Dorsal Fin 1, Ao-tamenuri. Having managed to escape both 2016 and 2017 without a single Nakaya purchase, I was not so lucky in 2018. I bought two Nakaya’s in a frenzy in early February. I was idly browsing the nibs.com website one day when I stumbled upon my grail pen…the Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 1...and in the discontinued Ao-tamenuri finish! I have been drooling over this pen since 2014. I knew I had to pounce and didn’t have much time to consider nib options. I quickly opted for a ruthenium- plated Broad Stub. I clicked the buy button and waited. After a few back and forths with Classic Fountain Pens about the approximate colour of the Ao on the Dorsal Fin (I was worried it might be green vs teal blue), both pens were shipped within a few days. My Nakaya arrived about a week later. Here is the Dorsal Fin Version 1 in Ao-tamenuri… Very stealthy looking and shark-like. I’m glad I departed from the gold- colour nib and went Ruthinium this time. The shape of the Dorsal Fin 1 is actually much less pronounced in person than in pictures I have seen. It actually looks very similar to my Ao-tamenuri 17mm Portable. *I noticed Nakaya have started calling the 17mm Portable as the Portable “Thick”. I’m not sure thats really selling the design Here is a picture of the pen capped. The Ao-tamenuri colour is perfect, that cool teal that makes you think of deep Japanese waters. The fin allows for a nice sliver of Ao finish to come through. Here it is capped, lounging on another sea creature… In addition to the sharks fin, the other differentiator between the 17mm and the Dorsal Fin 1 is the tapered barrel and pointy end. If it wasn’t for the Fin in the cap, it could actually pass for a beefed up Naka-Ai. Now there’s an idea… Here it is from the rear… Nib: I asked for a hybrid cursive italic/ stub for my Dorsal Fin 1. I had selected the cursive italic, and then elaborated in the “additional comments” section that I wanted it as smooth as a stub. Basically a stub but with a thinner cross stroke. I opted for a “Medium to Heavy” ink flow, then specified 8/10. I’m not sure if that is “Medium- Heavy” or “Heavy”. All I know is I did not want “dry”. Here is a close up of the Ruthinium- plated Broad nib… Here is a moody picture… Verdict: I am extremely happy with this Dorsal Fin Version 1. The Ao-tamenuri finish is exactly as I like it and the barrel is nice and fat and comfortable to write with. Do I wish I got the Dorsal Fin Version 2 instead? Well aside from it not being available and (ahem) more expensive, I quite like the shape of the Dorsal Fin 1 in the Ao-finish, as it more closely resembles a shark. A very expensive Japanese shark. Which is cool. The Version 1 model’s single fin curves outwards like a fat shark fin, whereas the version 2’s double fin model curves inwards to more resemble a Katana, or Japanese sword. The benefit of the 2-fin model however, is you get an extra slice of Ao on the barrel. I may well be tempted by one of these in the future, if it magically appeared at nibs.com, Aesthetic Bay…but hopefully not this year as my pen budget is well and truly spent. The only slightly negative thing I would say about this pen is the cap is much lighter than I expected. It’s much lighter than the 17mm and its shorter too. That seems strange as the Fin is created by adding multiple layers of urushi. I believe this process takes about 6 months to achieve. I would have thought all that urushi would add some weight. To me it seems like it has less urushi on the cap than on the barrel. But I could be imagining things. I will try to get some weight measurements. The nib is perfect with a good flow and the requested additional smoothness to the cursive italic Broad. The ruthenium-plating looks great. All in all, a grail achieved. I will not be parting with this pen I think, ever

My Danitrio's and Nakaya of a similar size... Danitrio Genkai, sho-genkai and Nakaya 17mm Portable Cigar in Ao Tamenuri…

Nakaya 17mm Portable Cigar (Ao-tamenuri) I managed to snag one of the last Portable Cigar’s in the Ao- Tamenuri finish (now discontinued). This is the 17mm version. I hadn’t heard of this before, but after some quick research found the 17mm referred to larger diameter of the section compared to the regular Portable Cigar. This was a much bigger and more substantial Nakaya than I thought it would be, and has a much more subtle Ao- Tamenuri finish than that of the Decapod Twist, which shows quite a lot of blue-green already. This nakaya veers more towards a grey/ blue- which is what most people want from the Ao- Tamenuri finish. Here are some pics… Shiny Ao-tamenuri finish- very dark initially, will lighten with age... Close- up of the soft fine nib with added flex. Still, not that flexible. Here is a size comparison of all three Nakaya’s. A sombre looking bunch but I prefer these to the more traditional (some say chintzy) Aka/ Heki/ Kuro- Tamenuri options. For some reason the 17mm Portable Cigar looks better in person and the Decapod Twist looks better in photographs… In photographs it’s difficult to show the Ao-tamenri finish of the Portable Cigar, hence my cropping efforts here...pardon the dust. http://s29.postimg.org/cv09at707/17mm_Portable_Nakaya.jpg This Ao-tamenuri finish really is my favourite and not offered by any of the other Japanese fountain pen brands specialising in Urushi. I wish I had heard about it being discontinued earlier so I could have grabbed a Naka-Ai and Neo- Standard. Oh well.