Dani Trio Maki-e Shakkyo Fountain Pen Collection

ABOUT NOH Noh is a unique form of play which has more than 600 years of history in Japan. It consists of dance, music, and poetry, and it is one of the oldest existing stage arts in the world. Almost every hero is a ghost who tells the story of the past life. A single Noh act attempts to express the essence and passion of human life. Noh should be observed with a gentle state of mind and without preconceived ideas.

Kabuki, however, is much more popular today in both Japan and the rest of the world. The sharp distinctions between Noh and Kabuki are very clear. Noh uses masks and it more metaphysical in nature, while Kabuki is entertaining and relies upon the extensive use of make-up; Noh is quiet in action but Kabuki is boisterous and showy. The stage is more similar to western operas, and the performance may last an entire day.

SHAKKYO (Stone Bridge) Shakkyo is the 5th and most important movement of Noh play. The story is about a Buddhist priest named Shakusho, who came to the foot of Mt. Seiryo in China during the Tang Dynasty, and saw a stone bridge. When he was about to cross the stone bridge, he was stopped by a child of the mountain (the lead role) who told him that the mysterious stone bridge was built by Nature and let to the Paradise, and only someone who had really done penance could cross the bridge. The child disappeared after he prophesied a miracle that priest could cross the bridge...... There are still around 200 Noh plays available today, and Shakkyo remains one of the most significant.

THE TECHNIQUES USED ON SHAKKYO The Maki-E of Shakkyo was designed by our artist, AKIO. He used the TAKA MAKI-E method extensively to raise the designs. Hundreds of KIRIKANE CHIRASHI (rectangular gold flakes) and MARUGANE CHIRASHI (round gold flakes) were set by hand, along with the beautiful RADEN (the blue shell inlaid). The large Chinese character on the cap is "Noh", and the Urushi was applied 3 times, while the two words in lighter color gold is "Shakkyo" (stone bridge), where the Urushi was applied 4 times. The ghost in the center of the barrels is the child from the mountain. The Urushi was applied 3 times on the dress and 5 times on the mask. The 6 smaller Chinese characters are MON JYU BO SATSU JYO DO (Paradise), where the Urushi was applied twice, and the whole base was finished with ROIRO-MIGAKI.