THE SUNSET CRANES MAKI-E BRUSH – SEPTEMBER 2026 RELEASE

On February 18th, 2026 we released three special Maki-e brushes, they were available individually in their own little black paulownia box. These brushes sold out quickly and since there was a lot of interest to bring a few more of them back in stock, we have been working on that.

When we create a special release, we can never guarantee that we’ll be able to bring it back in stock. These are small batches for good reasons, often linked to material availability, and sometimes also to costs or artisan resources. Under the right conditions, and if there is enough interest, it may be possible for us to make it happen again. Everyone behind the scenes is extremely grateful for the opportunity to take on more work!

This is exactly the case with our February release, those brushes are coming back soon but there is a change in one of the brushes: the Sunset Cranes. If you registered for the dedicated “Maki-e Face Set” restock newsletter, you may already know that this brush will be slightly different this time. Today, I’ll be sharing all the details as these brushes will be available very soon on Beautylish.

IN BRIEF

Last February 2026 we released 3 brushes: the Sunset Cranes, the Summer Koi and the Japanese Gardens, they looked like this:

SUNSET CRANES

SUMMER KOI

JAPANESE GARDENS

For this upcoming restock this September, we managed to bring back the Japanese Gardens and the Summer Koi brushes without needing to do any changes, they will come with the same bristles and the same packaging.

For the Sunset Cranes brush, we did not have enough saibikoho grade goat bristles available that matched the length of the previous release. However, since there was enough interest for a smaller version, we changed the brush a little and used slightly shorter saibikoho bristles, and we were able to create a beautiful smaller version of that previous Sunset Cranes – it’s smaller, but it’s still very big.

Since the Summer Koi and Japanese Gardens brushes come unchanged*, this post is just to show you the new Sunset Cranes and compare both versions: the February 2026 versus this new one that we called the September 2026 version.
*EDIT: the Summer Koi and the Japanese Gardens brushes are made with a difference batch of bristles so they may be or feel slightly different than the previous batches.

THE MAKI-E SUNSET CRANES BRUSH
FEBRUARY VS SEPTEMBER 2026 : What changes?

The size of the brush, the size of the box, as well as the mizuhiki crane attached to the box will change.

Both brushes are bundled with saibikoho goat bristles, there is a difference in the bristles length (45mm versus 38mm) and there is also a difference in the handle diameter (18mm versus 16mm).

We measured the bristles from the top of the arch.

The brush is similar but smaller, the ferrule is also similar but smaller. Being able to restock an exact small version of the Sunset Cranes is not that straightforward. Our ferrules are made using brass and they are entirely made in Japan, to manufacture a ferrule like this one, we need to create tools and processes and it takes not only a very long time, but a lot of effort and investment as well. The reason why we could quickly have access to this similar smaller ferrule is because we had been working on it already for over a year – we intended to use this new arched ferrule on a future Mini Essentials coming later this year.

Circumstances aligned in such a perfect way: we were able to bring back in stock this smaller version of the Sunset Cranes brush because we had just enough saibikoho goat bristles of this length, and because this particular ferrule had just been validated.

We started the manufacturing process immediately in February, so in total it has taken almost seven months. It feels like a long time, and yet somehow it went by so quickly! We thank you so much for your patience and we are also extremely grateful for your loyalty, it has been truly exciting to see that you are still interested in these brushes after such a long wait.

Sunset Cranes February 2026 vs September 2026

Here is the new Sunset Cranes Maki-e brush (September 2026 release):

It looks very very similar, so I will place both of them side by side:

In the front view, we can see that the width of the new Sunset Cranes is approximately 10mm smaller.

After wash, the bristles open and sideways they almost reach the same width. The main difference is that when in use, the new Sunset Cranes with the shorter bristles will not splay out as much and cover as much surface. In terms of functionality, some will find it more versatile because it allows more control in comparison to the bigger Sunset Cranes.

The bigger version is going to cover a lot more surface with one stroke, it’s more an all-over type of brush, while the smaller version is more controllable and can allow a more structural approach – for example bronzer or even blush as well. These are very fine soft bristles, there is movement and flexibility but there is still support and good strength at the working surface.

I wouldn’t recommend using this brush with products that are difficult to pick up, as the bristles are very fine. Applying too much pressure to bristles this silky is not ideal and can eventually cause breakage. It’s always better to choose the brush according to the product you want to use: the harder the product, the firmer and denser the brush should be.

That said, I would like to add that it’s normal that natural brushes have some shedding and you should not be alarmed.
A brush head is made of both shorter and longer bristles, mixed together and bundled in a specific way depending on the final shape. As part of the finishing process, the artisans remove the loose bristles that are expected to fall out. They always do this very carefully, overdoing this step can actually do the opposite effect and weaken the core of the brush. Knowing when to stop is important, as it helps protect the bristles and allows our brushes to last longer.

COMPARISONS WITH SIMILAR OPTIONS

HINOKI 2022 vs SUNSET CRANES SEPTEMBER 2026

This Hinoki brush was released in 2022, it’s similar to this Sunset Cranes but it’s not the same brush. The ferrule also looks similar but the manufacturing is different, processes changed since then.
The bristles of the Hinoki were saikoho goat, a very good saikoho grade actually, the bristles on the Sunset Cranes are saibikoho goat. The Hinoki is smaller, it feels firmer and it’s more compact. There are more bristles in the Sunset Cranes but there is a more airy feel in comparison to the Hinoki.

MINI ESSENTIALS ARCHED POWDER vs SUNSET CRANES SEPTEMBER 2026

This is the Mini Essentials Arched Powder, it’s a huge mini brush with bristles that are a mix of kakishibu dyed and brown dyed saikoho goat, these are thicker bristles in comparison, they give more firmness and strength to the surface of the brush.

THE NEW PACKAGING FOR THE SUNSET CRANES IN SEPTEMBER 2026

The Japanese Gardens and the Summer Koi brushes will come with the exact same packaging and with the same mizuhikis.
For the Sunset Cranes brush, the box is now the same size as the others.

The box is made using the same paulownia wood and it has the same black coating as before.

The decorative mizuhiki crane is not the same as the previous Sunset Cranes brush, and it’s also different from the other two brushes.
This matters just if you love to collect the different mizuhikis.

TECHNICAL SPECS AND PRICE

The Sunset Cranes September 2026 brush has shorter bristles in comparison to the previous release of February, as a result, the price has also been adjusted (from 490$ to 350$).

For the other two brushes in this collection, the prices remain the same.

AVAILABILITY AND PRE-ORDERS

These 3 Maki-e face brushes will be available again on Beautylish on September 29th, 2026 at 10 AM PT.

PRE-ORDERS

Priority for purchasing these brushes will go to those of you who already registered an interest back in February/March 2026 – it is thanks to these registrations that we were able to secure the additional order, so our thanks go out to you. Beautylish will reach out directly to you on your registered email address to check if you are still interested – this will happen between the 15th of September and the official launch date.

VERY IMPORTANT: You will only be contacted for a pre-order if you have agreed that we share your email with Beautylish. An email has been sent to the “Maki-e Face Set” newsletter subscribers asking you to confirm if we can send this information to Beautylish. If you registered to receive the “Maki-e Face Set” newsletter, please check your inbox and please follow the link and confirm by Sunday 13th of September, this is when we will be sending the final pre-order list to Beautylish.
Even if you subscribed to the newsletter, if you did not confirm that we could pass on your information to Beautylish, they will not be able to contact you. Thank you!!