(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
I admit it. I'm a Nakaya nut. I'm certain that, if I had to get rid of all my fountain pens except for one, the one I would save would be my Nakaya Moon Cat. Fortunately, I don't have to make such a decision right now. Instead, I keep adding to my Nakaya collection.
My most recent acquisition is a Nakaya Naka-ai Cigar Blue Rose with Raden. I got it in a trade with my friend Rick Liebson (his username is whichwatch on Fountain Pen Geeks) who is the go-to guy if you want a Nakaya and can't find one at nibs.com or nakaya.org.
Nakayas come in a paulownia wood box lined in red velvet material. The pen itself is nestled in a kimono and cartridges and a converter are included.
The Naka-ai style is my favorite Nakaya model. I love the conical finials and how the barrel tapers gently at the bottom. Capped, the pen measures 150mm/5.9 inches. Uncapped it is 135mm/5.3 inches. It is not postable. At its widest, the barrel measures 15mm in diameter, but at the grip it is 11.9mm in diameter. It weighs only 18.6 grams uncapped and fully inked. It's the most comfortable Nakaya for writing, in my opinion--well proportioned and perfectly balanced. Like all Nakayas, it is a cartridge/converter fill.
The Blue Rose Raden is a unique and beautiful work of art. The base is heki-tamenuri urushi. Although usually heki-tamenuri finishes exhibit green highlights, for some reason this model does not. When you look at the finial or the grip section the "worn" areas are light brown rather than green.
The raden in the rose is blue, with green raden for the leaves and stem on the cap. A line of blue raden swirls around the barrel to the bottom, evoking either the rest of the stem or, as I prefer to imagine, a trail of rose petals.
This is a subtle raden design, which I find quite pleasing.
An additional detail on my Blue Rose is gold Kanji lettering. I was told it means something like "cherish." If anyone can confirm that for me, I'd be grateful!
Rick swapped out my 14k flexible stub nib from my Dorsal Fin 2 (review here) into this one. I love this nib--it's soft and springy and the stub offers its own line variation even without flex.
I can get more line variation with just a bit of pressure, but I'm afraid to spring the nib, so I haven't pushed it too hard. Below are some examples of writing on both Cosmo Air Light (review here) and Ayush Paper (review here). Ink spreads more on the Cosmo, so the line variation looks more pronounced than on the Ayush paper, but I like how the Ayush Paper (with its bit of texture and absorbency) makes me feel like I'm more in control of the nib.
Cosmo Air Light
Ayush Paper
Ayush Paper
A brand new Nakaya Naka-ai Cigar Blue Rose with Raden will set you back $1,350 at nibs.com (and that's with no special nib modifications). Plus, right now there are very few models in stock which means a six-month to a year or more wait. I'm happy to recommend you contact Rick or go to his booth at the Washington Pen Show where you can find up to seventy Nakaya models! Nope--I don't get a commission or anything for recommending Rick, but I've traded with him and bought several of his pens and he's great to work with (plus he can switch out Nakaya nibs for you).
(I purchased this pen with my own funds.)
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