Est. 2026 · Price: FreeEditor-at-large: The Hedgehog

Stationery Times

Brand: Namiki

Namiki Chinkin Collection: 11 Gold-Inlay Pens

Compiled from 6 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research

Quick answer

The Namiki Chinkin Collection is eleven fountain pens from Pilot's maki-e brand decorated by chinkin, carving a motif into lacquer and filling the lines with gold. Three have a No.50 nib, two a No.20 and six a No.10, all 18K gold. Namiki publishes no sizes or prices; we place it in our $$$$ band (over $75) by analogy.

On this page10 sections
Three Namiki Chinkin pens in black lacquer with gold-line carving, drawn thick, medium and slim for the No.50, No.20 and No.10 nib sizes
Chinkin pens in the three nib sizes Namiki lists, drawn by eye: Namiki publishes no dimensions, and the gold lines stand in for the real designs. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Product facts

Product
Namiki Chinkin Collection Peony Fountain Pen (FNFVC-70M-BN)
Brand
Namiki
Brand origin
Japan
Made in
Not stated*
Material
Lacquer body with carved gold inlay (chinkin), 18K gold nib (core body material not stated)
Price range
$$$$over $75 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)
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Notes on these facts
  • Made by Pilot Corporation (Namiki is Pilot's maki-e brand). Country of manufacture not stated: Namiki's Kokkokai page says its maki-e studio is inside Pilot's Hiratsuka plant in Kanagawa and that artisans make the lacquerware around the country, but no Chinkin page prints a country of manufacture. Check the box or the pen. Source.
  • How we test and disclose samples: How we test stationery.
  • Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

  • Namiki lists eleven Chinkin pens: Peony, Tiger and Dragon with a No.50 nib; Cat and Royal Rooster with No.20; Bamboo and Sparrow, Autumns with Leaves, Pine Tree, Cherry Blossoms, Silver Grass and Crane with No.10.
  • Namiki says chinkin carves the motif into lacquer with special chisels, inlays lacquer in the grooves, then places gold leaf and gold powder; because it is carving, there is no room for mistakes.
  • All eleven have an 18K nib: FM, M and B on the No.50 pens, F, M and B on the No.20 and No.10 pens.
  • Namiki credits the first seven designs to one named artisan and the last four to the Kokkokai group.
  • Namiki's pages give no dimensions, weight, filler or price, and we found no dealer price we could read on November 2, 2026.

What is the Namiki Chinkin Collection?

It is the carved gold-inlay line of Namiki, Pilot’s maki-e fountain pen brand. Namiki says chinkin is one of the lacquerware techniques Japan holds up beside maki-e, and describes the collection’s look as delicate, fine depiction with a three-dimensional, forceful expression. We read Namiki’s English site on November 2, 2026. For where the brand came from, see Pilot’s history.

Which eleven pens does Namiki list?

Three No.50 pens, two No.20 pens and six No.10 pens.

Design Article number Nib Nib types
Peony FNFVC-70M-BN No.50, 18K FM, M, B
Tiger FNFVC-70M-TR No.50, 18K FM, M, B
Dragon FNFC-65M-R No.50, 18K FM, M, B
Cat FNKC-30M-NEK No.20, 18K F, M, B
Royal Rooster FNKC-30M-TOK No.20, 18K F, M, B
Bamboo and Sparrow FNVC-20M-TAS No.10, 18K F, M, B
Autumns with Leaves FNVC-20M-KIS No.10, 18K F, M, B
Pine Tree FNVC-10M-MT No.10, 18K F, M, B
Cherry Blossoms FNVC-10M-SKU No.10, 18K F, M, B
Silver Grass FNVC-10M-SU No.10, 18K F, M, B
Crane FNVC-10M-T No.10, 18K F, M, B

Namiki’s list page calls three of the last four Pine, Cherry and Pampas Grass; the table uses each pen’s own page title. It credits the first seven to a named artisan and the last four to Kokkokai, the artisan group it says formed in 1931.

How is chinkin made?

The motif is carved into the lacquer, lacquer is inlaid in the grooves, then gold leaf and gold powder go on. That is Namiki’s own description. It adds that because chinkin is carving, there is no room for mistakes, and that each cut is a real challenge. The technique page covers the general maki-e cycle of lacquering, drawing, sprinkling and polishing, which can take more than three months, but it does not describe the chinkin steps beyond this, so we don’t know how long a Chinkin pen takes.

Three cross-sections of black lacquer: V-shaped grooves carved, filled with lacquer, then gold set in
Chinkin in three steps, depths exaggerated: carve the grooves, inlay lacquer, then set gold in the lines. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

What is the nib like?

All eleven carry an 18K gold nib, in three sizes. The No.50 is the large Jumbo size that Namiki uses for its Emperor line; the No.20 and No.10 are smaller. Namiki gives no flex or feel notes and no millimetre size for any nib, so we can’t compare them with other makers’ sizes.

How big is it, and how does it fill?

Namiki doesn’t say. None of the pages we read gives a length, diameter, weight or filling system for a Chinkin pen. Without sizes we can’t say how the three nib sizes differ in the hand.

What does it cost?

Namiki lists no prices, and we have no dealer price we can quote. Yoseka, our usual US source, put up a bot check on November 2, 2026, and we did not work around it. Our $$$$ band (over $75) rests only on the prices we read for other Namiki lines on October 31, so confirm the price with an authorized dealer. Dragon and Peony also appear in other Namiki lines, the Emperor and Yukari Royale, as different pens.

Where is it made?

Namiki’s pages don’t print a country. Its Kokkokai page says the maki-e studio is in Pilot’s Hiratsuka plant in Kanagawa, and that artisans from inside and outside the company make lacquerware around the country. We list the origin as not stated.

Frequently asked questions

How many pens are in the Namiki Chinkin Collection?

Eleven on Namiki's English site: three with a No.50 nib, two with No.20 and six with No.10.

What is chinkin?

Namiki calls it gold inlay, a lacquerware technique it says Japan ranks beside maki-e. The motif is carved into the lacquer with special chisels, lacquer is inlaid in the grooves, and gold leaf and powder are placed on it.

Is chinkin the same as maki-e?

No. Maki-e sprinkles gold powder onto lacquer; chinkin carves grooves and fills them with gold. Namiki sells both on its maki-e site and describes chinkin as a technique on a par with maki-e.

Which nib widths does the Chinkin come in?

Namiki lists FM, M and B for the three No.50 pens and F, M and B for the No.20 and No.10 pens, all in 18K gold.

How big is a Namiki Chinkin pen?

Namiki gives no dimensions or weight for any Chinkin pen, and we found no dealer page we could read that does. We can't give a length for any of the three nib sizes.

How is the Chinkin Peony different from the Yukari Royale Peony?

They are separate pens. Namiki lists the Chinkin Peony as FNFVC-70M-BN with a No.50 nib and chinkin, and the Yukari Royale Peony as FNK-45M-BN with a No.20 nib and Togidashi-Taka maki-e.

How much does a Namiki Chinkin pen cost?

Namiki lists no prices and we found no dealer price for the Chinkin pens that we could quote. We put it in our $$$$ band (over $75) only because every other Namiki line we priced on October 31, 2026 sat far above $75; this is not a quote for Chinkin.

Sources (6)

  1. Namiki: Chinkin Collection (eleven pens, technique description; read November 2, 2026)
  2. Namiki: Chinkin Peony (technique, article number, nib size and types, artisan; read November 2, 2026)
  3. Namiki: Chinkin Cat (No.20 article number and nib types; read November 2, 2026)
  4. Namiki: Chinkin Crane (No.10 article number and nib types, Kokkokai; read November 2, 2026)
  5. Namiki: Techniques supporting Namiki (lacquer, draw, sprinkle, polish cycle; read November 2, 2026)
  6. Namiki: People who make Namiki, Kokkokai (the artisan group and the Hiratsuka studio; read November 2, 2026)

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