Help identifying the artist on a Pilot Deluxe 1978 Maki-e

[LeoP]

Hi,

This is my first post and I'm excited to have joined this amazing community!

I recently bought from a local (Swiss) auction site a Pilot Deluxe Maki-e, F 18K nib, manufactured in Feb 1978 at the Hiratsuka factory. As this is my first Maki-e I started doing some research around the signatures on the body of the fountain pen.

The one on the right part indicates that the artist was member of the Kokkokai group of Maki-e artisans. However I struggle finding which artist it belongs to and this is where I would like your help.

 

As far as the fountain pen is considered, it is becoming my daily writer. The nib is fantastic, very smooth, slightly springy and on the wet side. When time permits I would like to write a review of it in detail.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

 

[PithyProlix]

You might try here - click on Marks towards the bottom of the page:

http://www.smokingsamurai.com/DUNHILL_NAMIKI.html

[ethernautrix]

Nothing helpful to add, but what a lovely pen! 

Have you tried writing to Pilot directly? Maybe asking on their Facebook or InstaGram account?

[LeoP]

8 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

You might try here - click on Marks towards the bottom of the page:

http://www.smokingsamurai.com/DUNHILL_NAMIKI.html

Thank you for pointing to this. I have already checked the page along with some other ones eg.

• https://www.pilot-namiki.com/en/about/kokkokai.html
• various blog pages from http://taka215.blog63.fc2.com/
• The Namiki listings in https://issuu.com/antiquorumgenevesa/docs/namiki_and_montblanc_masterpieces
• Various listings in https://elephant-coral.com
• Various e-bay listings
• Various listings in https://airlineintl.com/collections/pilot-namiki

I can't say that I have exhausted every possible source; I haven't checked Instagram at all and I may have missed some images on the sources above plus more sources with the most important one being books which unfortunately I haven't purchased yet.

 

From what I have seen so far, it resembles the signature of Sato Masato but it's not 100% same.

There is also some partial resemblance with Sei's signature here: https://elephant-coral.com/tag/namiki-pen/ and specifically in this image: https://i1.wp.com/elephant-coral.com/elephantcoral/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Pilot-Goldfish-Sign.jpg?resize=820%2C440&ssl=1

I recall having read in a FPN post that some artists may alter their signature as thy grow older or master the craft.

The theme is called "plovers" and I have spotted similar pictures in various sources:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/eld7h2/a_pair_of_makie_plover_pattern_pilots_compared/
• a pinterest post which unfortunately can't find right now but signature was not the same.

 

Will keep on searching, thanks again!

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by LeoP
Add extra link to sources

[LeoP]

3 hours ago, ethernautrix said:

Nothing helpful to add, but what a lovely pen! 

Have you tried writing to Pilot directly? Maybe asking on their Facebook or InstaGram account?

No and that is a great idea! Thank you very much!

[ethernautrix]

59 minutes ago, LeoP said:

No and that is a great idea! Thank you very much!

I hope it works!

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, LeoP said:

From what I have seen so far, it resembles the signature of Sato Masato but it's not 100% same.

 

I thought so too, but not only does the first of the two kanji in the signature differ, but the middle kanji in 國光會 is finished very differently and distinctively on your pen; the final stroke, in almost a straight diagonal line with no upward hook at the end, looks like no other Kokkokai artisan's style on display on those pages.

 

[LeoP]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

but the middle kanji in 國光會 is finished very differently and distinctively on your pen

You are absolutely right, thanks for pointing it out! Wow, makes it more intriguing. Don't know if it's an artistic variation... I just saw something similar on a Hong Kong auctions site (https://funbid.com.hk/yahoojp/auctions/item.php?aID=w453985699) but don't know how legit it is...

and another one on Yahoo Auctions (https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p1040339215):

 

I have sent the pics of my fountain pen to Pilot account on Instagram and Facebook.

[PithyProlix]

You mentioned seeing that some artists might alter their signature in older age. Take a look at my post when I was trying to identify the artist for my pen: 

 

 

Both characters in the signature did not match any of the artist signatures at http://www.smokingsamurai.com/DUNHILL_NAMIKI.html but the first character matched Kyusai's. Comparing various signatures on pens at http://taka215.blog63.fc2.com/ I concluded with fairly good certainty that the signature on my pen is the signature Kyusai used when he was younger.

 

I suspect, but cannot say with any certainty, of course, that the signature on your pen is what Masato Sato used when he was younger. I cannot find any directly supporting evidence of this assertion.

 

Fingers crossed that Pilot will respond helpfully.

 

By the way, that was my first, and only, Maki-e. You seem to be as excited as I was when I got mine! I decided to not use mine (it's the only pen I have that I have never inked) and I have since acquired 2 regular-production Deluxes that I enjoy using. Enjoy your beautiful pen!

 

 

[mke]

unnecessary

[LeoP]

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

I concluded with fairly good certainty that the signature on my pen is the signature Kyusai used when he was younger.

Thank you, it was actually your post that led me to the same assumption

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

By the way, that was my first, and only, Maki-e. You seem to be as excited as I was when I got mine! I decided to not use mine (it's the only pen I have that I have never inked) and I have since acquired 2 regular-production Deluxes that I enjoy using. Enjoy your beautiful pen!

I am truly excited indeed! As it is a second-hand fountain pen it has already been inked yet its condition is almost pristine. By looking at your suggestion, trying various places to find the signature and browsing through various auction catalogs I came to realize that I should treat it as a piece of art at least for now. I have already flushed it, cleaned it, waiting for it to dry and will store it with a silica gel bag. I like the nib's feeling so I am officially on the lookout for Fine-nib Pilot(s)

Will keep you posted on Pilot's response.

[LeoP]

2 hours ago, mke said:

Anyway, I will ask a colleague tomorrow. She can read signatures as fast as I show them to her where other colleagues needed 30 minutes to identify a single one. 

Thank you so much! Appreciate it a lot! Let me know if you need more info or photos.

[mke]

unnecessary

[A Smug Dill]

11 hours ago, mke said:

She said she thinks that it is a different Kanji.

 

That, to me, is obvious. The two ‘dots’ (ten, or diǎn) in 真 only take up the bottom quarter structurally, whether one is ‘printing’ it in regular script or writing it (semi-)cursively; and, from the samples I can find online of Masato Sato's signature on maki-e pieces, he ‘prints’ his name (otherwise there would be a narrow connector, or at least some indication of such a ‘stroke’ should the hairline be broken, between the two ‘dots’ in 真) in a relatively regular manner. The first of two kanji in the signature on @LeoP's pen was written in cursive script and with bolder, more brush-like strokes (which is strange, because the second kanji as written does not show the same characteristics), and the complexity of the clearly demarcated bottom ‘half’ is such that it could not be merely two ‘dots’ joined. Of whatever the bottom ‘half’ is a cursive abstraction, it should take up approximately the bottom third of the kanji structurally in regular script.

 

11 hours ago, mke said:

We discussed a bit and found a possible explanation: he changed his name, not the pronunciation but the Kanji - to make sure that his name can be written.

 

Source: Pilot Corporation

 

The logo (in red) that Masato Sato uses is recognisably a stylised 佐 (in 佐藤真人); its first stroke is clearly from a leftward sweep (hidari harai, or piě) from the top, starting just off the centreline. In the logo seen on the pen, the first stroke is apparently written more like a 7, starting with a rightward movement before turning the corner. The penultimate stroke, on the right, in the logo on the pen also lacks nuance; Masato Sato's is a cursive abstraction of the ㅜ part in 工, and so looks more like a rounded ァ (or the top part of a question mark), pulling back after the end of the rightward horizontal line.

 

[LeoP]

Thank you very much @mke and @A Smug Dill for all the useful information and for your time above all!!

Will add Pilot’s response to this thread once I hear from them. 

Thanks again!

[awa54]

if you want a "daily driver" version of that pen, I believe that it's based on the Deluxe model (though yours has different tassies than the standard variant). the Custom Grandee is somewhat similar, but has a resin barrel as opposed to lacquer over brass and 14k nib rather than 18k.

 

I've seen the sections of several Deluxe series pens with hairline cracks that bleed ink into the cap and all over your fingers... possibly due to how thin the section material is, though it could also be caused by corrosion if the inside of the section is allowed to contact ink from the feed, so I wouldn't suggest leaving them inked with iron gall or soot/carbon formula inks over long periods.

[LeoP]

On 3/31/2022 at 6:51 AM, awa54 said:

the Custom Grandee is somewhat similar, but has a resin barrel as opposed to lacquer over brass and 14k nib rather than 18k.

Thank you @awa54 for the suggestion. Adding it to my watch-list.

 

I have just received a beaten-up, yet writing great Pilot Deluxe with M nib and plastic body and what you mentioned for hairline cracks is true. Here is my small experience with cracking on Pilot Deluxe and how I think I managed to save the day. I use my now resting in a box Maki-E in photos but the disassembly process, section and feed are the exact same on the Deluxe I received. Please excuse me and correct me if the terminology of parts is wrong.

 

The problems start when the nickel-colored connector between the section and the body is over-screwed. This creates tension on the plastic threads of the section resulting in cracks.

 

I started by removing the connector:

 

The golden ring is removable, its wide part should face the body of the fountain pen whereas its narrow should face the nib. The top part of the feed mechanism is revealed. The mechanism consists of 3 parts.

A plastic "pipe", a rubber gasket and the feed.

 

The problems begin when this small plastic tube is fitted the wrong way; it was wrong in the Deluxe I just got and I could painfully hear small cracks; it was when I stopped twisting and decided to pull everything apart to find the root cause.

Inside the plastic tube there is a small "tooth" pointed with the arrow. This is the pain point of the mechanism.

On the feed side, there is a corresponding "notch" as shown bellow with the solid rectangle with the rubber gasket being shown with a dashed recrangle:

The "tooth" has to fit the "notch". On the opposite side of the "notch" there are the ink channels. if the plastic tube is inserted the wrong way it will need pressure to fit and it will:

- scratch and potentially destroy the ink channels

- will never reach and fit the gasket leading to potential leaks

- will cause the nickel connector to not screw all the way down in the section body putting pressure and causing harm.

 

For reference, here is how the gasket should sit:

 

If everything is put in place correctly, then:

- the plastic tube reaches all the way down to the gasket

- the nickel connector secures the plastic tube on the section

- the gasket seals the plastic tube and offers the connector extra turns since it expands

- The ring on the connector reaches its end-point making sure that no extra turns will be allowed

 

Of course putting more pressure can lead to damage but the construction of the section and feed provide some safeguards. Add a bit of silicone grease to the parts that screw together and it ensures extra insulation and less friction.

 

[awa54]

7 hours ago, LeoP said:

Thank you @awa54 for the suggestion. Adding it to my watch-list.

 

I have just received a beaten-up, yet writing great Pilot Deluxe with M nib and plastic body and what you mentioned for hairline cracks is true. Here is my small experience with cracking on Pilot Deluxe and how I think I managed to save the day. I use my now resting in a box Maki-E in photos but the disassembly process, section and feed are the exact same on the Deluxe I received. Please excuse me and correct me if the terminology of parts is wrong.

 

The problems start when the nickel-colored connector between the section and the body is over-screwed. This creates tension on the plastic threads of the section resulting in cracks.

 

I started by removing the connector:

 

The golden ring is removable, its wide part should face the body of the fountain pen whereas its narrow should face the nib. The top part of the feed mechanism is revealed. The mechanism consists of 3 parts.

A plastic "pipe", a rubber gasket and the feed.

 

The problems begin when this small plastic tube is fitted the wrong way; it was wrong in the Deluxe I just got and I could painfully hear small cracks; it was when I stopped twisting and decided to pull everything apart to find the root cause.

Inside the plastic tube there is a small "tooth" pointed with the arrow. This is the pain point of the mechanism.

On the feed side, there is a corresponding "notch" as shown bellow with the solid rectangle with the rubber gasket being shown with a dashed recrangle:

The "tooth" has to fit the "notch". On the opposite side of the "notch" there are the ink channels. if the plastic tube is inserted the wrong way it will need pressure to fit and it will:

- scratch and potentially destroy the ink channels

- will never reach and fit the gasket leading to potential leaks

- will cause the nickel connector to not screw all the way down in the section body putting pressure and causing harm.

 

For reference, here is how the gasket should sit:

 

If everything is put in place correctly, then:

- the plastic tube reaches all the way down to the gasket

- the nickel connector secures the plastic tube on the section

- the gasket seals the plastic tube and offers the connector extra turns since it expands

- The ring on the connector reaches its end-point making sure that no extra turns will be allowed

 

Of course putting more pressure can lead to damage but the construction of the section and feed provide some safeguards. Add a bit of silicone grease to the parts that screw together and it ensures extra insulation and less friction.

 

 

 

Great writeup!

 

That's a feed/cartridge nipple design that I've not encountered before.

 

The leaky Deluxe that's still in my possession is a tan/brown laquer variant that seems to have a metal (brass?) section, rather than resin, so I had assumed the issue was linked to corrosion, I had also assumed that all of the Deluxe variants' sections would be metal, since the wall thickness would necessarily be very thin in this slim design.

 

I'll try to dig that pen up and disassemble it to see if the damage was caused by improper assembly, or erosion of the metal... I had not disassembled that pen before, as I didn't have a clear plan for repair and the coupler was not interested in threading out of the section at normal levels of force.

 

My mint (or possibly NOS) black Deluxe has been left unmolested, as it's in flawless condition both cosmetically and functionally.

 

 

UPDATE: So Many Bad Assumptions...

 

I found and have re-examined the "woodgrain" laquer Deluxe-ish pen:

first off, the section and connector ring remain stubbornly attached to each other... I used grip enhancers on both the connector and section and applied all the torque I could muster by hand, at some point I may step up to using tools, but it already felt perilously close to an amount of force that could break the section.

next, under high magnification, the section sleeve *appears* to be swirled resin/plastic as the cracks follow the divisions between tan and brown resin swirls. the color and pattern match with the barrel is so good that I had previously though it was also lacquer over brass.

 

as far as the exact model of my pen goes, it appears that it's actually a Deluxe variant, rather than a true Deluxe, as it's slimmer than the Deluxe, has a different cap interface ring and has slight differences in the length of cap and barrel, though OAL is the same. this pen is dated H577, while my standard black Deluxe is A1293. 

your urushi/art pen (of course) shares the same barrel tassie as my much newer Deluxe (although my newer pen has a 14k nib with round breather hole, as opposed to 18k and oval), it's my "almost-Deluxe" that has a different barrel tassie.

 

I would say that this bodes well for the single color Deluxe sections being proof against this issue, except that I'm *certain* that I've seen a thread (can't find it for citation  ), about section cracks in another black Deluxe on one of the pen forums I've frequented, plus I also own a Pilot TOW (looks like a Sheaffer Targa externally, but shares a nib design with the Pilot Volex, which in turn is quite similar to the Deluxe nib/feed/section design), which also has hairline cracks in its black resin section. In this case, the cracks in the black resin seem to have propagated from the metal collar at the front of the section though, rather than mid-section as seen in my Deluxe-ish pen... I honestly don't remember where the cracks were observed in the pen I saw discussed on that older forum thread, as it was at least three years ago now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[awa54]

On 3/28/2022 at 7:51 PM, mke said:

unnecessary

 

 

I can't lie; I'm still on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what part of this fairly intricate discussion was "unnecessary"

 

[PithyProlix]

14 hours ago, awa54 said:

 

 

I can't lie; I'm still on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what part of this fairly intricate discussion was "unnecessary"

 

 

I bet it was his own post that he wanted to delete, but could not because of forum software limitations ...