Sailor Bespoke King of Pen Wabi Sabi

[jandrese]

I photographed these Sailor King of Pen pens for Dromgooles. Very interesting and unique urushi technique that I did not appreciate until I was able to study them. I especially like the color range in the green version. 

 

together yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

texture zoom crop yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

 

[whichwatch]

5 hours ago, jandrese said:

I photographed these Sailor King of Pen pens for Dromgooles. Very interesting and unique urushi technique that I did not appreciate until I was able to study them. I especially like the color range in the green version. 

 

together yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

texture zoom crop yes logo by Ja Ja, on Flickr

 

 

 

The pens are the rare King of Pen that isn't  my cuppa Joe, but your photographs are sure top notch!  Thanks for posting them.  They do give a better look at a most unusual finish.

[jandrese]

55 minutes ago, whichwatch said:

 

The pens are the rare King of Pen that isn't  my cuppa Joe, but your photographs are sure top notch!  Thanks for posting them.  They do give a better look at a most unusual finish.

I can dig it. I actually still have them and the longer I do the harder it will be to send both back!

[Aether]

Tastes vary of course but to me this technique is the pen version of pre0ripped jeans, and about as stylish.  

[Paul-in-SF]

1 hour ago, Aether said:

Tastes vary of course but to me this technique is the pen version of pre0ripped jeans, and about as stylish.  

 

My gripe against these pens is that they completely misrepresent the concept of wabi-sabi -- you can find a lot of definitions in English of that term online, like "wisdom in natural simplicity," "flawed beauty," or perhaps "the aesthetic of things that are imperfect, impermanent or incomplete." For an urushi pen, it might be one where the urushi artist missed a spot in the over-color, so the under-color shows through where you wouldn't expect it (or so it seems to me). It wouldn't be a pen that looks like it was held over an open flame until the finish bubbled. And it especially wouldn't be something that was created to be wabi-sabi then put in a box and shipped to customers. 

 

But yes, the photos are wonderful and much more revealing than any I have seen of these pens. Perhaps the pens are better (less bad) in person than they appear online. 

[jandrese]

12 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

 

My gripe against these pens is that they completely misrepresent the concept of wabi-sabi -- you can find a lot of definitions in English of that term online, like "wisdom in natural simplicity," "flawed beauty," or perhaps "the aesthetic of things that are imperfect, impermanent or incomplete." For an urushi pen, it might be one where the urushi artist missed a spot in the over-color, so the under-color shows through where you wouldn't expect it (or so it seems to me). It wouldn't be a pen that looks like it was held over an open flame until the finish bubbled. And it especially wouldn't be something that was created to be wabi-sabi then put in a box and shipped to customers. 

 

But yes, the photos are wonderful and much more revealing than any I have seen of these pens. Perhaps the pens are better (less bad) in person than they appear online. 

As far the technique goes it seems to be a genuine innovation, that is, it's new and requires high skill. Here is a link to the method. For example, despite the inherent "imperfection" there is a high degree of consistency in design and execution between the red and green pen. The result was no accident. 

 

Regarding the aesthetics it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, nothing is. The greater subject of Japanese aesthetics, especially the aesthetics of imperfection and insufficiency, are 1) wholly Japanese and 2) highly complicated, sophisticated, nuanced, and are designed. As to the first point we simply cannot apply concepts of Western values to the artwork, they just don't apply. The aesthetics of imperfection and insufficiency are furthermore ancient being both broad and deep. They cannot be simply understood, especially by an outsider. The production of such items, from a Japanese perspective, is totally legitimate and if carried out successfully something to be celebrated. 

 

As for me I'm just trying to wrap my brain around them. Even as I type this my appreciation grows. If a highly skilled traditionally trained urushi artist says this is good and conforms to Japanese aesthetic values I cannot refute that, I must work to understand why. Of course, there is a marketing element but there seems to be truth in it and the message, by necessity, must be rapidly communicable. I've still not bought one but there is no doubt they are high quality urushi items. 

[Paul-in-SF]

1 hour ago, jandrese said:

The production of such items, from a Japanese perspective, is totally legitimate and if carried out successfully something to be celebrated.

 

(emphasis added) This is obviously where you and I differ the most, on both points. I will agree to disagree. 

[Aether]

Much as zen is a derivative of ch'an in Buddhism, wabi sabi is also derivative of much earlier Buddhist appreciation and acceptance of decay and impermanence.  In both cases the Japanese adopted these concepts from elsewhere, they are not originally Japanese. 

 

And no, I totally disagree with the other poster about such concepts not being able to be understood by an 'outsider'.  

[jandrese]

7 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

 

(emphasis added) This is obviously where you and I differ the most, on both points. I will agree to disagree. 

Not sure what we disagree about. I’d be impressed with any art form successfully made whether or not I like it. At no point have I said I actually like these pens. I appreciate them and I respect the craftsmanship. They are growing on me but I remain undecided. 

[jandrese]

2 hours ago, Aether said:

Much as zen is a derivative of ch'an in Buddhism, wabi sabi is also derivative of much earlier Buddhist appreciation and acceptance of decay and impermanence.  In both cases the Japanese adopted these concepts from elsewhere, they are not originally Japanese. 

 

And no, I totally disagree with the other poster about such concepts not being able to be understood by an 'outsider'.  

That is my understanding as well, but as with so many things the Japanese made an imported thing unique and generally elevated it to a very high level. As it is with urushi. The Japanese were not the first to use urushi but they developed it the most. 

 

I did not say outsiders cannot understand foreign concepts. After 20 years of being deeply steeped in traditional Japanese arts including urushi as both collector and craftsman I admit that I’ve barely scratched the surface. This is not unique to Japan but as I happen to be interested in some Japanese things this is what I focus on. As with so many things the more one learns the more one realizes how much more there is to know. That is why I cannot condemn these pens as not being wabi sabi. People better positioned than me feel they do embody that. As an interested party my job becomes to wonder why, not to close my mind to the possibilities.  

[Paul-in-SF]

4 hours ago, jandrese said:

Not sure what we disagree about.

 

We seem to disagree on the points that I quoted: that the production of items intended to demonstrate wabi sabi is legitimate and potentially to be celebrated, and that it was even possibly well done in this case. 

[Aether]

My point though is that these deliberate attempts are done with complete disregard for the effects of time or advent of the unexpected.  kind of like wanting to buy a skill rather than develop one.  To me it's artificial and lacking in values.

[mke]

On 12/11/2021 at 11:33 AM, Paul-in-SF said:

My gripe against these pens is that they completely misrepresent the concept of wabi-sabi

Many foreigners believe that wabi-sabi is a Japanese trait. But in reality, they tend more to throwing away stuff which has faults.

I guess it is the same as everywhere - people from the older generation tended to repair stuff. And Japanese gave it a name.

[jandrese]

6 hours ago, Aether said:

My point though is that these deliberate attempts are done with complete disregard for the effects of time or advent of the unexpected.  kind of like wanting to buy a skill rather than develop one.  To me it's artificial and lacking in values.

I understand your point of view. Nakaya makes pens that appear to have cracks and chips in the urushi finish. Other manufacturers of urushi items make modern negoro-nuri finishes that are pre-worn in effect. I have a negoro nuri danitrio. It’s also a  relatively common finish on saya (scabbards for Japanese swords). I lacquer saya as a hobby and have done a negoro-nuri finish. The wear effect was placed where it might have naturally occurred due to honest use but was artificial. There are probably other examples. Distressed watches, which is something from my other hobby, are a thing. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective and personal preference.