A Closer Look…Fuji Five Lakes Yamanaka
The Platinum #3776 Century Fuji Five Lakes series Yamanaka is the third in our “A Closer Look” series. These posts offer readers additional information and photos of pens we have in our own collections—no stock photography! We hope these posts assist in readers’ purchasing decisions and pen identifications.
The Fuji Five Lakes series began in 2011 with the Motosu (still very hard to find on the resale market). This limited series commemorates the redesign of the Platinum #3776, the Century, in 2011. The Yamanaka is the fourth in the series, coming out in 2015 (2014 did not see a series release). I didn’t begin collecting Platinums until after this series concluded; I found it on Goulet’s history of Platinum limited editions. The quality of their images is better than mine: I spend all my money on pens, not a new phone camera!
Appearance
The Fuji Five Lakes series features variations on the demonstrator. The first four are clear or slightly blue tinged, while the fifth is a transparent dark blue. The Yamanaka was the first to show textural variation. As you can see, the body is molded with vertical ripples ringing the shaft and cap. The cap band features the standard “PLATINUM MADE IN JAPAN #3776”.
The Nib
The Yamanaka features a standard Platinum #3776 Century 14k nib with heart-shaped breather. The pen’s nib and trim are rhodium plated. There is no unique etching. This is just anecdotal evidence, but I have only ever seen F nibs on the resale market. Either they were the most common, or they were the least liked.
The Lore
Lake Yamanaka has the highest elevation of the Fuji Lakes (1000 meters altitude, so about 3281 feet). Lake Yamanaka, or Yamanaka-ko “Lake in the Mountains”, is the shallowest of the Fuji lakes with a maximum depth of 44ft. The ripples on the pen body represent the shivering texture of the water as the breeze moves across the lake. Based on the image below, they succeeded in capturing the appearance of the wind-rippled lake surface.
Numbered Limited Edition
Both the Fuji Five Lakes series and the Fuji Shunkei series are numbered limited editions. You can find your number below the top end cap. This one is 2876 out of 3776. I originally had 1261, but I sold it, and that made me sad. This one is new old stock (NOS) from Anderson Pens.
Packaging and Contents
The Yamanaka, like the rest of the Fuji Five Lakes and Fuji Shunkei series, features a standard hinged interior box with an outer sleeve designed and labeled specifically for its release. If you are looking for original packaging, locate the white outer sleeve labeled “Yamanaka”, and the interior white box. The satiny lid interior will also say “Yamanaka”. Finally, you will have a small leaflet explaining the pen design. You may also locate the clip tag, which identifies the product code (if the box does not). The code for the Yamanaka is PNB-20000Y.
Availability
The Yamanaka pops up on eBay regularly—there were 3776 of them, after all. But despite the relatively large release, these pens cost the same as, or more than, a limited store edition! My first one from eBay was $450, while the NOS from Anderson Pens was $425.