Hasami Pen Rest, Kindei (Reactive Gold)

Hasami, in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, has a 400-year history of ceramic craft. Kaolin and fresh water have been readily available in Hasami since well before the Industrial Revolution, so the locals used these abundant raw materials to create beautiful porcelain clay—and to establish their city's reputation as a high-quality center of ceramics production.

These new Hasami porcelain pen rests from Kakimori bring together the best of Japan's manufacturing tradition and the latest ideas of its contemporary designers. Slip-cast in your choice of two droplet shapes, then hand-glazed (except for the unglazed Karayaki color) and fired, with the Kakimori maker's mark pressed into the unglazed bottom of each piece.

The short droplet is perfect for holding one pen, while the long droplet holds two at a time. The two designs use a similar amount of materials and labor, so they are priced the same. Choose the one that suits your desk.

This is the Hasami Pen Rest in Kindei, a reactive gold iron oxide glaze that's sprayed by hand over the greenware before it is fired. Every Kindei pen rest is different, with various patterns and a range of colors determined by the precise thickness and firing temperature of each pocket of pigment in the glaze.

Presented in a Kakimori paper box. Made in Japan.