Matsubokkuri - Maki-e Takane-bara (Black) | Glass Pen

The same wild rose appears on both shaft colours in this maki-e design, but black shifts what it calls to mind. On white lacquer the maroon-red petals read as a spring bloom; set against black, that same red sits closer to the colour of takane-bara’s rosehips — the small, pear-shaped fruit the plant ripens in late summer, deep red against branches that have long since lost their own flowers. It’s the same brushwork, but the black shaft leans toward autumn where the white one leans toward June.

A Rose That Grows on Bare Rock

Takane-bara (タカネバラ, Rosa nipponensis) is a low, branching deciduous shrub found on the high mountains of central and northern Honshu and on Mount Tsurugi in Shikoku, rooted in serpentine, limestone, or volcanic rock at elevations most plants can’t tolerate. It flowers from June to July with reddish-purple, five-petaled blooms around 3.5 to 5cm across, then sets oval rosehips that ripen deep red by late summer. The name translates to “high-peak rose” — a species that holds its ground above the treeline rather than in cultivation.

Wajima Lacquer, Painted by Hand

The technique is maki-e (蒔絵), “sprinkled picture”: an artisan paints the design in lacquer, then dusts fine gold or silver powder onto it before it fully sets, building the metallic sheen in layers. On this black shaft, the gold worked into the stamens and leaf veins has no pale background to diffuse into — it sits directly against the dark lacquer, giving the metalwork sharper edges than the same design shows on white.

The Pen Itself

This black-shaft version is available only with an F (fine, roughly 0.2–0.3mm) nib — Matsubokkuri’s maki-e series is produced in this single width across every flower design, since the point is the painted artwork rather than a choice of line weight. Each pen is crafted to order, so expect a short wait between purchase and dispatch.

Specifications

• Shaft colour: Black
• Nib width: Fine (F) only
• Decoration: Hand-painted maki-e lacquer by a Wajima-trained artisan
• Material: Borosilicate glass body, lacquer, gold powder
• Made in Japan, crafted to order

Using and Caring for a Maki-e Glass Pen

Dip the nib fully before writing; the spiral-cut grooves hold enough ink for several lines per dip. Rinse the nib under lukewarm water after use, but keep water and solvents away from the painted shaft itself — wipe the lacquered surface with a soft, dry cloth rather than washing it, since repeated moisture can dull the gold over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the black version differ from the white one?
Only in the shaft colour and the resulting mood — the flower design, the maki-e technique, and the F nib are identical. Black gives the red petals a deeper, more autumnal cast than white does.

Why is this pen only available in one nib size?
The maki-e series is painted to showcase the lacquer artwork itself, so Matsubokkuri offers it in a single fine nib across every flower design rather than a range of widths.

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