08 April 2019

The Case of Naginata. V. Results

On the previous Chronicle, I wondered whether the alleged virtues of the Naginata Togi nebs were real and detectable. To do so, I published a picture with seven sets of ideograms --焼肉定食, yakiniku teishoku--, all of them written by the same Japanese hand using seven different pens. Then I asked if we could find out which one had been written with a Naginata.

From top to bottom, the pens were as follows:

- Kubo Kohei nib. Unlabeled point, but it is about an MF.
- Montblanc 149 (F?)
- Henckel nib, architect grind.
- Sailor Naginata Togi, NMF.
- Pilot #5, music nib.
- Pelikan M200, F.
- Pilot Vpen, F.


The solutions to the question of last Chronicle.

The most popular answer –both on comments to my text and on Instagram-- was number 5; that is, the music nib by Pilot.

This result is surprising—either people love the results of writing with a stub nib or most of us do not really know how a Naginata nib is actually cut.

On second position came number 3 –a Henckel nib with an architect grind--, and on third, the actual Naginata Togi. This is more reasonable, as the Naginata nib can be seen as a smooth architect's nib.


The architect's grind on a Henckel nib.


A Naginata Togi nib.

The conclusion is that the alleged beautifying effects on the writing come only through practice with the Naginata Togi nib itself. But if so, many people, in Japan and overseas, buy Naginata pens without really knowing how to use them and take no benefit of their supposed advantages.

But Naginata Togi nibs are excellent writers for whatever script, Eastern or Western. And christening a nib with an exotic name is an excellent marketing strategy.


Sailor Profit Naginata Togi – Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

Bruno Taut
Bunkyo, April 2nd 2019
etiquetas: plumín, Sailor, japonés (idioma), mercado

4 comments:

Saltire Turquoise said...

Interesting. Good to see the humble V-pen putting in such a strong performance.

Bruno Taut said...

Pilot's Vpen is a very good pen... save for the quality control. Not all those nibs are good, and testing them before buying is convenient.

Thanks for passing by and commenting.

BT

hiroyoshi_go said...

Like any tool, some knowledge and expertise is required to use to it's full advantage. If you explore some of the videos on Youku or BiliBili, you can see amazing results written with people who can wield these nibs. However in truth, native Chinese speakers are more interested in the Fude nib than the Naginata nib. I DO agree the results of the naginata especially the fine is minimal. It's almost like writing with a fine italic nib for western writing.
As to why people are fascinated, I believe it's the same reason why flex nibs sells so well here in the US. Most people don't know how to use it, but it does not stop people from buying it.

Bruno Taut said...

Thanks, Hiroyoshi_go. We agree. And at the end, what matters to sell is marketing and not the actual results few people would accomplish.

Thanks for passing by and commenting.

BT

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