+1 for the CU, I think the Yukari is the better pen but the FM nib on the CU that I have is definitely more fun to use!

The No. 50 nib is also available as a fine-medium, labelled .

Actually the Namiki No.50 is available also in FM. On special order have seen a BB as well.

I didn't include "non-traditional' nibs like the E95S and VP.

emperor* not empower

It has always been stored in a drawer, away from direct sunlight..

You really can't go wrong with either.

Do you consider the clip on the Emperor too short, or the one on the Yukari Royale too long? I think it looks good on both, though I think it’s only functional as a clip on the Yukari Royale. I occasionally carry mine in my pocket. I think the Emperor is too large to carry in a pocket, so I think the clip functions primarily as a roll-stop. It doesn’t have to be any longer than it is to serve that function effectively.

@@jamespicht1128 Now that's an actual logical explanation.

Agreed. I can't get past the "cheap" of a brass body. That said David, I'm glad you like it!

Personally, I like that the Yukari Royale has a brass body as it adds some weight. What sets these apart in my mind is not the fact that they are Urushi-lacquered but rather the flawlessness of the result.

Ebonite is just heavily vulcanized rubber, formerly used to make bowling balls and car batteries. I don’t see it as a more luxurious material than brass. I think its use in the Emperor pens makes sense because they’d be absurdly heavy in metal. Brass gives the Yukari Royale pens a nice heft. I have one finished in maki-e and raden that’s a joy to write with and that I think would be disconcertingly light in just ebonite. Extravagantly priced? Yes, but I’m told that it took over three months to make, and the results and finish are absolutely flawless. They could have painted it over papier-mâché like my lacquered Russian boxes and it would be worth the price, I think, but I’d be afraid to hold it too tightly.

I think yes and no. Yukari Royale and number 20 are indeed the same model and have slightly bigger bodies than the maki e pens which are usually just called Yukari followed by name of decorative motif.

There are maki-e decorated pens in both Yukari and Yukari Royale size, too. The plain ones are part of the "Urushi Collection" and referenced by number only, though many people still call these Yukari Royale (No. 20) and Emperor (No. 50).

I personally love these big boxes as I find they are part of the experience and enjoyment of the product. But I find your idea of giving the choice to the customer between the regular box and a space-saver option a fine compromise that could be implemented without a significant hassle.

I find excess packaging in general pretty annoying, but I’ve found uses for some of my large presentation boxes. The largest one holds over a dozen bottles of ink on my desktop. A couple of smaller ones hold pen supplies in my desk drawers. Others, I’m afraid, have gone in the trash or are being saved to hold Christmas gifts, after which they will probably go in the trash. I don’t think those soft wood boxes used by Namiki and other Japanese pen companies are environmentally irresponsible, but I think the “leatherette” (plastic) boxes and filler materials some pens are shipped in _are_ irresponsible.

In general I agree, but in the case of paying over a thousand dollars for the pen, and especially when the wood box serves the function of protecting the pen from being too dry in an environment, I want the nice box to store everything.

This shape, called "cigar" by many, is classic, functional, and found in many fountain pens over decades. Nearly every fountain pen is longer than it is wide.

@@judyjacobs5827 It's not just the shape (which is much more sausage-like than other pens), but also the size and the color. It looks and feels like writing with a sausage. Highly over-rated and over-priced. I could not help but shake my head when David called this sausage pen "beautiful". I guess if you pay enough for it, you would find even a turd beautiful...

What pens do you find aesthetically pleasing?

@@CorneliusBartke I like a variety of pens, e.g. Parker Vacumatic golden pearl; Pelikan M400 tortoiseshell; Pilot VP black carbonesque; any number of Kaigelu 316a finishes; all 3 Jinhao 75 finishes, etc.

@@GPngts I think when spending that much on a pen, most of us do some research and soul-searching (“is that _really_ the pen I want?) before pulling the trigger. We buy it because we think it’s beautiful, rather than blundering into a $1,500 purchase and trying to convince ourselves that we think it’s beautiful. That said, I much prefer the black version, which I think is elegant, but I bought a maki-e version (much more expensive) which I think is spectacularly beautiful and that fits my relatively large hand perfectly. It’s at the $100-$200 level that I’m more likely to find myself trying to convince myself that I like a pen when I’m not sure I do. That’s expensive enough that I’ll feel buyer’s remorse if I don’t love it, cheap enough that I’ll buy on impulse without being certain that I want it. I tried out a Namiki Emperor at a pen show recently. It was a gorgeous piece of art, but for me, totally impractical as a writing instrument. Not a sausage, but a scepter, useful for braining groveling subjects, not for writing love letters to my wife.