Ascending Dragon Owners - Your Advice Requested!

[Centopar]

I've just had a rather surprising performance bonus and big promotion at work, and I want to spend some of it on my first Nakaya (and stick the rest in an investment account like a sensible person). It'll be something very lovely, and very personal, that I can keep for the rest of my life. Most of my pens are vintage, and many of them are engraved; I treasure them, and the thought of commissioning something very special and personalised of my own from a craftsman like the people at Nakaya gives me the chills.

 

I think I'm set on nib choice: I'll be asking John Mottishaw for a soft elastic fine or XF with added flex, if he'll do it (I understand he has strong opinions on the cutouts in the elastic nib). I know what kanji I want on it (kinkou, meaning equilibrium). I know I either want a Milky Way or an Ascending Dragon in the long cigar shape - the Ascending Dragon is winning at the moment by about 70%.

 

I have given this so much thought over the last week that I am having very disturbed dreams about it.

 

But I'm mithering something horrible about which colour of Ascending Dragon I prefer. Part of the problem is that I'm not very clear on how the aka-tamenuri and heki-tamenuri look (and how they compare with one another) once the dragon has "ascended" and is glowing through the translucent lacquer after a few year's use. Thanks to TDL's lovely pictures here, I think I have a reasonable feel for what the blue dragon looks like in the end. But if anyone has pictures of the aka- and heki-tamenuri after the urushi has mellowed, I'd love to see them - and if (unlikely) anyone has pictures of both together I'd be over the moon with gratitude. In the Chinese calendar, I am a fire dragon, so I guess that should push me in the direction of aka-tamenuri; but I am also very drawn to the earthy tones of the heki-tamenuri.

 

Who would have thought that making a decision about something so lovely could be so stressful?

Edited November 23, 2013 by Centopar

[mongrelnomad]

I don't have either, but I have seen them both side-by-side in a window display at Lundolt-Arbenz in Zurich. The dragons seemed to have ascended quite a lot - I assume that the sunlight faded the top layer of urushi.

 

The aka-tamenuri was more restrained - a warm, elegant combination that maintained quite a refined aura. The heki, on the other hand, was earthier, grittier, rougher. In a tight squeeze, the aka would tap you supportively on the shoulder, the heki would give you a big bear-hug.

 

Just my two cents.

 

(I have an ao-tamenuri ascending dragon Nakai-ai on the way, so I went in completely the other direction )

[elderberry]

Hi Centopar,

 

I have a Long Cigar with the Ascending Dragon motif in heki-tame. It's not exactly very old though, I've had it for two years now and I believe it still pretty much looks the way it did when I bought it. I don't leave it out in the sunlight for very long though, whenever I don't write with it it's in its pouch, so that might draw it out somewhat.

 

I had expected the heki-tame dragon to be greener than it really turned out to be. I have another tame-sukashi pen which is supposed to be kuro-tame (though it is quite light) and there isn't much of a difference between those. As I don't have any side by side pictures at the moment these will have to do:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ryejt0mRkDQ/UMAwzJnZ0GI/AAAAAAAAAZY/g__Fi8GnZh0/s1600/UrushiGroupshot2WM.JPG

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZd27LE9ZjU/UMAw5qbu16I/AAAAAAAAAZg/RGkoVX49zX8/s1600/UrushiGroupshot6WM.JPG

 

The pen right behind the Dragon is a regular heki-tame nuri pen. You can see that aside from a hint of olive near the edges the pen looks very red and not so different from the feather motif in the picture above.

 

I think I'd probably just follow my fancy! Other bonuses will come and it's unlikely to end up with just one Nakaya anyway. :-D

[daintydimsum]

I don't have a dragon, nor have I seen one, but I didn't find that John Mottishaw had very strong opinions on making the notches in a soft nib. We had a bit of a long conversation on it as I was quite undecided as to what to do. I ended up getting an SEF carved out of a SF with flex added. This was to a ruthenium nib though and I don't think the flex is quite as flex as I thought it'd be. I've heard the ruthenium nibs are harder so maybe that's why!

 

It writes beautifully though

 

(The pen itself is a decapod twist in ao-tamenuri.)

 

But I feel so excited for your pen! I'm sure it'll be lovely whatever you opt for some of those tame-sukashi motifs are truly lovely; I'm eyeing the bamboo one...

[Earthdawn]

I bring nothing to the table as far as the Ascending Dragon.... but I can tell you John will make the elastic nib without question. When I asked about having one done earlier this year he simply gave me a price and completed the work. Interesting nib to say the least.

 

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/93799223-8749-4B7D-8025-9A11696BF55A-443-0000001DA6F1BE1E_zps3560d263.jpg

[jimhughes]

I have 2 piccolo's one in Aka and the other in Heki. Latter about 4 years old, the former 3 years old. Both stored in the shade and out of sunlight, no colour fading to best of abilities to notice this. Aka definitely red black colour and Heki, brown green colour. Both beautiful and unique in it's own way.

[Centopar]

Thank you very much indeed for all the replies, everybody: @mongrelnomad, your description was extremely helpful, and the photos are a real help. I'm definitely tending towards the aka-tamenuri. Thank you again!

[Multiechelon]

During the past two years, I have been rotating through a fair number of Nakayas to converge on my ideal writing rotation. Until about a month ago, a heki tamenuri ascending dragon long cigar was in my writing rotation. A raden milky way naka-ai is still in my rotation.

I keep them in stands all the time and have not seen this to have a significant impact on the urushi.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_Group_zpsb50b3ac9.jpeg

Here are some pictures of the heki ascending dragon.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/ThreeHekiNakaya/ThreeHeki_Dragon02_zps3f1e564c.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/ThreeHekiNakaya/ThreeHeki_Dragon03_zpsaf1c7f8a.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/ThreeHekiNakaya/ThreeHeki_Group01_zps70ed01fe.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/ThreeHekiNakaya/ThreeHeki_Group02_zps2a2a5322.jpeg

I loved the look of the heki ascending dragon. I traded that pen because I did not like the form factor of the long cigar. The dragon itself was lovely.

The dragon strikes me as such a classic Nakaya. Anyone that sees the pen immediately grasps it is a custom pen. The raden milky way pen is significantly more subtle.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_01_zps9f085856.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_02_zps55db8f47.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_03_zps41be2a7e.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_04_zps09d00a20.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_05_zps2555df88.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_06_zpsb50fc090.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_07_zps41d6cc45.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_08_zpsc6b7d071.jpeg

The incredible part of the Milky Way is how the raden reflects in light. The shimmering effect is very hard to photograph but it is stunning in person.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_09_zpsda76f1a0.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_10_zpsf61f484a.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_11_zpscc999e61.jpeg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/multiechelon/RadenMilkyWay/RadenMilkyWay_12_zpsf8e41b3e.jpeg

If it was me, there is no question I would pick the ascending dragon over the raden milky way. Heki tamenuri versus aka tamenuri is much harder; my preference is heki tamenuri but of course that is a personal decision.

Sean

[Rumyana]

This Raden Milky Way is so beautiful!!!

[Rumyana]

Is this raden more green or blue?