Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.
Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉
About a year ago, I bought myself the standard size Sailor Pro Gear Sakura Nagare. About a month ago, Jim bought us the King of Pen size Sakura Nagare. I don’t mean the new 1911 version that released last year(?) I mean the original, 2010 Pro Gear KOP.
Since we now have both original versions, I thought it would be interesting to compare them. Especially because, to my surprise, they are not identical in design.
Pen History & Design
You can learn about the history of the original Sakura Nagare pens at the links below, but, the TLDR version is that they were commissioned by the Japanese government as part of a reparations/apology program for WWII veterans.
- Sailor Pro Gear KOP Prime Minister’s Consolation Gift Sakura Nagare
- Gifts from the Prime Minister of Japan: Sailor Pro Gear Standard and King of Pen Sakura Nagare Raden and Maki-e
- Newest Addition: Sailor Raden Maki-e Sakura Nagare FP
- Pen and Ink Haul | Prime Minister’s Special Consolation Gift Sailor Pro Gear (Sakura Nagare) (video)
The design of this pen depicts Japanese cherry blossoms “Sakura” floating down a river “Nagare” in spring time… It symbolizes the beauty of culture and life the young are deprived of in war.
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=685783
360° Comparison
Like with the standard size, I don’t think there’s enough variation around the pen to need a 360° video, but you do get to enjoy the 360° photo layouts.
Special Design Elements
The cap bands feature the same inscription, “内閣総理大臣 (naikaku souri daijin) 贈 (zou)”. The first part is Prime Minister, the second part if Gift. Thank you to Derek for your informative comment on my original Sakura Nagare post! However, the KOP has two ridged sections above and below the inscription.
The cap finials bear the 5-7 Paulownia emblem of the Japanese government. The coins are meant to be identical, but the line thickness on the standard Pro Gear (left) makes it harder to appreciate the detail. I think it would have been better to use the same finial coin on both pens. I see no problem with having less space around the coin on the standard size.
The nibs also have the same design, prominently featuring the Paulownia emblem. Because the standard Pro Gear nib is thinner — by ratio — the design takes up less vertical space. This often throws me off as I think the nib isn’t seated correctly.
Details
It’s easy to tell that the swirl design is tighter on the standard size pen (top). I would expect the reverse, given that the tighter spiral means more raden and more work.
However, that tighter spiral is somewhat offset by the difference in the actual raden work. The “river” on the KOP has a much tighter setting to the raden pieces.
Both of the pens have texture to the raden, and the KOP even has a hint of texture to the gold powder.
Boxes
The biggest difference between the two pens is their boxes.
The KOP has a lacquered box with a raised gold Paulownia emblem and the same inscription as the cap band. The inner lining is blue velvet, and it comes with a bottle of ink with the emblem and a pen sleeve.
The standard Pro Gear comes in a Paulownia wood box that only bears the cap band inscription. The inner lining is cream satin, and it comes with the bottle of ink with the emblem.
It’s kind of hard to believe that we have both versions of this pen in our household. They’re stunning, and I hope that one of my pen friends will get the 1911 version to compare that one as well.
What do you think of the two pens? Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
