Sailor has revisited Hiroshige’s famous works to create a new edition that carries forward its coveted ebonite series. With the launch of UMESAKI, the brand adds a seventh chapter to its ever-growing family of colored ebonite pens, made using the Chirashi (scattering) technique and equipped with the renowned 21K gold Naginata Togi nib.
Following previous editions — KAIHA, KOUEN, RYOKKYOU, SEKKEI, SYOKEI, and MOUKO — UMESAKI continues Sailor’s exploration of surface, depth, and color through ebonite. The uniqueness of this edition lies in the particular technique employed by Sailor’s craftsmen.
Instead of relying on surface coatings or simple marbling, Sailor employs a complex artistic method known as Chirashi. For each pen, highly skilled craftsmen layer multiple, distinct colors of ebonite to create a variegated pattern in which hues appear scattered and interwoven. While there is no clear documentation regarding the labor time involved, it is safe to assume this is a painstaking process. What begins as an intentional composition ultimately transforms into an irregular pattern; as a result, every pen is visually unique, and no two pieces are alike.
The color palette of UMESAKI is far from coincidental. It draws inspiration from Hiroshige Utagawa’s woodblock print Plum Estate in Kameido (Kameido Umeyashiki), part of the celebrated series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Created during the final year of Hiroshige’s life, the print depicts a dramatic close-up of a gnarled plum tree in bloom, rendered with an innovative use of perspective that creates both intimacy and spatial depth.
Hiroshige’s artwork did not remain confined to Japan. During the Edo period, prints such as this traveled overseas and influenced European artists, including Vincent van Gogh, who reproduced the composition in his 1887 painting Flowering Plum Tree—a clear sign of the deep admiration he held for Hiroshige’s work.
Sailor interprets the scene through material rather than illustration. Having had the chance to see this edition in person, I can say that images do not do it justice, as the piece truly shines under natural light. A closer look at the pattern reveals a soft pink base that evokes the atmosphere of plum blossoms in bloom, while white Chirashi fragments suggest drifting petals. Subtle gray and black tones recall the textured trunk and branching limbs of the tree. The effect is restrained, poetic, and unmistakably Japanese in spirit.
At the heart of UMESAKI is Sailor’s 21K gold Naginata Togi nib, renowned for its ability to produce different line widths depending on writing angle. Inspired by traditional Japanese blade geometry, this nib offers both exceptional smoothness and expressive variation, making it suitable for everyday writing as well as calligraphic styles.
As with previous editions, Sailor sticks to its classic cartridge/converter filling system, offering flexibility in ink choice while maintaining reliability. I can’t help but wonder when Sailor might decide to introduce a piston-filling mechanism—at least for its limited editions. It would likely be a dream come true for many collectors.
Priced at $1,988.00 and limited to just 500 pieces, each subtly numbered at the base of the cap, UMESAKI is a highly desirable addition to any collection, particularly for its connection to Hiroshige’s legacy, the distinctive design it showcases, and a writing experience that is hard to match in the industry.
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