While we are all anxiously awaiting news of this year’s Pelikan Hubs event to surface, Pelikan surprised us late last evening with a different type of announcement. With the M1000 Renaissance Brown hitting store shelves any day now, Pelikan plans to follow that highly anticipated launch with another M1000, this one being the latest in their line of Maki-e pens. Introducing the M1000 Maki-e Ivy and Komon limited edition fountain pen. The design draws from the Japanese culture and depicts an autumnal scene. This new model follows up to last year’s well received Maki-e Dragon. As is the custom with these hand painted pens, only 123 pieces will be available worldwide. Keep reading to learn all about Pelikan’s newest Maki-e masterpiece.

The Ivy and Komon is built off of the M1000 chassis, Pelikan’s flagship model in the Souverän line. It includes all of the usual trappings of a Souverän including a beak clip, two cap bands, a trim ring at the section, and two trim rings at the piston knob, all plated in 24C gold. Sitting behind the section is a dark green ink view. While the pens are produced in Germany, they are decorated in Japan. The oversized model provides a large canvas for the company’s stable of Japanese artisans to bring this release’s theme to life. The artists do so by employing both the Togidashi-Maki-e and Taka-Maki-e techniques. Togidashi utilizes multiple layers of Urushi which are repeatedly polished and upon which a design is drawn with colored lacquer and the Taka technique mixes charcoal and gold powders into the lacquer, so that the design is raised above the surface, providing a more tactile feel to the work. The high degree of skill that goes into each piece, at least in part, explains why so few of each edition are made.

What exactly is the M1000 Ivy and Komon meant to embody? Pelikan’s sales literature states;

“The limited edition “Ivy and Komon” shows the climber plant Ivy combined with Komon that is a very beautiful and traditional pattern. The motif was painted using the famous Japanese Maki-e technique.

Ivy is often written about in poems because of its glossy, beautiful autumn leaves. The so-called Komon is one of the traditional Japanese kimono patterns in which the same pattern is dyed repeatedly in the same direction. The maki-e fountain pen “Ivy and Komon” has brilliant orange ivy covering the fountain pen, and in combination with the Komon patterns, it depicts a beautiful autumn.”

Orange, red, and brown hues creep along the barrel and cap like the ivy leaves they are meant to represent. The komon is a reference to a kimono that is dyed with a simple repeating pattern. This is not the first Pelikan pen to employ the komon motif. Some may recall a similar depiction on 2013’s M1000 Maki-e Fantasia. The designs of the Ivy and Komon add a unique dimension to the overall look of the pen. Several star shaped elements featuring different motifs stand out on the barrel and cap. The star on the cap shines thanks to the Raden technique used. One thing that catches me is that this model harkens back to the look of the Maki-e Seven Treasures (2021) and the Maki-e Snow, Moon, and Flowers (2022) which were more abstract designs.

Pelikan M1000 Make-e Fantasia (2013)

The Maki-e M1000 Ivy and Komon comes packaged in a gift box made of paulownia wood and will be fitted with the standard 18C-750 medium nib of the M1000 Souverän. Each pen will be individually numbered and feature the artist’s hand painted signature. Unfortunately, the time intensive labor and ultra-limited numbers combine for a profound sticker shock. Last year’s Dragon had a US MSRP of $4,500 and you can likely expect to pick the Ivy and Komon up for something just under $5000.

To me, the M1000 Maki-e Dragon is an incredibly tough act to follow. I also tend to be drawn to more concrete themes like what we saw with the Dragonfly, Five Lucky Bats, or Kingfisher. These abstract designs are certainly attractive but slightly less compelling to my eyes. That said, I really like the colors on this one which pair wonderfully with my favorites season. Unfortunately, most people will be stuck on the outside looking in due to the prohibitive cost of ownership.  Still, these pens are amazing works of art that deserve to be admired. What do you think of the M1000 Maki-e Ivy and Komon? Do you like these more abstract Maki-e releases? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Nine Years of Maki-e M1000s, left to right: Spring & Autumn (2016), Dragonfly (2017), Peacock (2018), Five Lucky Bats (2019), Japanese Umbrella (2019), Kingfisher (2020), Seven Treasures (2021), Snow, Moon, and Flowers (2022), Phoenix (2022), Dragon (2023), and Ivy and Komon (2024)