There seems to be some confussion about the Japanes "Kao" (red seal) and the Mei (usual artist signature). In Japan, maki-e artists are nearly always part of a guild. If they are rogue artists, then they would probably starve to death. At least they would have before the internet. These days many independent artists are doing very well for themselves, but originally, all of the artists were part of a guild. Typically, a signature consists of the guilds name, and then the artists name to the left (Japanese reads Right to Left). If the artist is a new to the guild, he hasn't yet earned the right to include his own signature, and will only sign with the guilds name.
If the artist is independent, then he will only sign his own signature.

The red "Kao" mark is a type of "Hanko" or seal. If we were talking about paintings, the artist would use a stone, or ivory seal to make his mark. Nearly every official doccument in Japan requires one of these seals, so every one has one....Even Me. You have to be careful never to lose it because supposedly someone could take out a loan in your name or something like that. Usually these "Kao's" are soemthing like a monogram made of the Artist real name or "Artist Name". But the end design is entirely up to the artist.

Basically a "Kao" is the same as a Signature or "Mei" on a pen. There are no set rules when to use one or the other. For a very formal importnat work, the artist will use all three: the guild name, the "Mei" and the "Kao". If the item is less importnat, the artist may only use the Guilds name and his "Mei" or he may only use the "Kao"

It is true that if an artist was not pleased with a pen, he may only sign with the guilds name. But this would probably only be if he were unpleased with the concept design, not his own work. Maki-e pens use many layers and the signatures on the top quality pens are part of the core work. I can't see an artist removing all those layers to remove his name from a pen and then re-lacquring a pen. it would be easier to throw it away and start over.

Pilot or Namiki (It has always been the same company but under different names) created some more strict rules for their pens, and this is probably what everyone is thinking of today. The pens with all three marks, Guild, Mei, Kao, are always the best pens and command higher prices. But even Pilot didn't always follow the guidelines. On some pens, like the ring top, lever filler Dunhill Namiki's only the "Kao" is used.

Sailor and Platinum never had a guild of inhouse artists and always hired independent artists outside of the company, and these artists were even looser with the guidelines.

Many modern maki-e pens are applied using silk-screening methods or other machines to apply the lacquer work, complete with signatures and kao's, so you always have to be careful.

Today, any maki-e pen with an artist's "Kao" is worth more than a pen without one; not because of anything the aritst intended, but because of modern Westren perception of value.

Murakami's book "Dunhill Namiki and Laquer Pens" and Stepehn Overburry's book "Namiki" both have a section on Maki-e artists. You have to understand that both books are terribly incomplete, but they did the best that they could. Even the guys at the Pilot Pen museum are scratching their heads about half the signatures found on Pilot maki-e pens that I show them. They have been working hard on figuring out all the artists ever since the war. Probably a complete list of the artists will never be possible, but it is always exciting to add a new name to the list.

In my own personal opinion, pens with the "Kao" just look better, and I would pay more for one.