(5) Japanese Yatate and (2) Qalamadan Divit in Various Sizes, Colors, and Materials. The Qalamadan Divits are scribe pens/cases with attached inkwell, with one inscribed in Armenian with a translation on paper inside the pen case. Divits originated during the reign of Shah Sulayman Safavi (1664-95), and were based on the Japanese yatate, a similar pen/inkwell device which originated in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and were exported along the Silk Road.

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Largest Size: 2 x 2 x 10 in. 

#2333 . 

Yatate are small personal smoking-pipe-shaped writing sets from medieval Japan which provided a carrying box for the ink cotton, and a shaft for a brush (also doubling as a letter opener if needed). Yatate literally translates to “quiver,” and the name comes from the practice of early bushi who kept ink stones inside their quivers. Japanese writing was traditionally done using the writing set inspired from China: an inking stone, a small stick of solid ink (sumi) which is turned to usable liquid ink by grinding on the inking stone and watering, and brushes. The complete set was easily portable but took time to prepare the materials for writing, so the Japanese innovated a complete set all in one piece, akin to the modern day ink pen. During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the idea of ink-saturated cotton was developed. By touching a calligraphy brush to the cotton, one could ink the bristles with reduced risk of dripping or spilling ink. By enclosing the cotton in a little box (sumi tsubo), a writing set was made even more convenient and. The first yatate were long boxes, with the ink compartment in the axis of the pen. The pipe shape was designed to increase the quantity of available ink. In the late Edo period, another design was developed, with the ink box attached to the pen shaft by a chain; the ink box was used as a netsuke to fix the yatate to the belt, while other yatate were simply tucked behind the belt like a fan. As only members of the samurai caste were permitted to carry katana, some yatate were designed to be used for self-defense. Some late yatate were made of a special alloy of gold and copper called shakudo, specifically designed to turn purple-black over time, and give the yatate its finish.

Commensurate with age.