Ohashido No More

Some weeks ago, blogger Fudefan released the news—Mr. Uehara had stopped the production of Ôhashidô pens in December of 2024.

Ôhashidô's lathe in 2023.

These news have surprised most of us. Not much information we really know and we can only speculate.

We do know, though, that Mr. Uehara had been struggling to source nibs for several years. Let us remember that he was using Sailor nibs, and Sailor went as far as engraving them in origin —that is in Kure— with the Ôhashidô imprint. But at some point, that relationship strained leaving Mr. Uehara in a difficult situation—fewer nibs meant fewer pens and lower sales. Making ends meet, therefore, became harder.

Some Ôhashidô pens on display at Maruzen's Pen Fair, March 2022.

Was that all the problem? Probably not, but it surely contributed to the demise of the brand.

Long ago I described Ôhashidô as a preindustrial operation, a one-man company without any system in the production. Chaotic as it might sound, that was also part of the appeal.

Some Ôhashidô products.

But Ôhashidô is no more, and we can only turn our eyes to all those old pens –even if there were recently made— to enjoy the charms of Uehara's works.

Well, we can also look for leftover pens in the hands of some retailers...

Ôhashidô's booth at Mitsukoshi's Fountain Pens of the World fair in 2017.

Ôhashidô, you will be missed. Uehara-san, please come back soon.

Asvine V126 – Waterman Florida Blue

Bruno Taut
February 17th, 2025
etiquetas: Ôhashidô, mercado

Even More Chinese Capless

By now we know how Chinese pen makers, when trying to capitalize the success of capless pens, have taken the route of copying well-known models: Lanbitou copied Platinum, Jinhao and Moonman copied Pilot. But, is there room for creating new and different models?

It seems so, actually.

The following pen is a Dianshi, and it is a capless pen, an inexpensive capless pen.

Dianshi DS-784

The Dianshi DS-784's price is about 4 to 5 USD. It is made entirely of plastic and, most likely, it can only be inked with proprietary cartridges. It carries no markings save a fairly big sticker by the clip, and on the box.

These are its dimensions:

Length closed: 14.1 mm
Length open: 13.9 mm
Diameter: 10.5 mm
Weight: 14.0 g (with an empty cartridge)

Externally, the pen looks very symmetrical (save for the obvious clip). However, the area close to the nose is molded in a quasi triangular shape to ease the grip.

The nib lid –essential on a capless pen to prevent it from drying up-- opens to the right of the nib. By means of an elastic material (see the pic). This movement makes the nib point very visible to the user as long as he was right-handed. Lefties, though, might be left in the dark, although this would depend on each particular grip.

How durable is that mechanism?

The lid, to the right. The nib, made of steel.

The clip, interestingly enough, is located on the upper side of the pen, close to the push button. This detail might please some users, but the undesirable effect is that the nib will face downwards when carrying the pen on a shirt pocket. Who would want to take this risk?

Moonman and Dianshi, side by side.

All in all, this Dianshi pen seems an interesting product as it is an attempt to create an original pen instead of being just a copy of a well-known product by other maker. It also comes with some defects, but there is hope in honest error, as C. R. MacIntosh once said.


My thanks to Mr. Shimizu.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
February 4th, 2025
Etiquetas: Dianshi, capless, mercado

More Chinese Capless

Chinese pen companies have certainly felt the appeal of the capless idea. More so, dare I say, than any other country manufacturing pens.

Aside of those old capless made in China in the 1990s –Lily 910 and Wuhan-Dagong—, some of the now-active pen brands in China have recreated successful models made in Japan. First was Lanbitou with its copy of the Platinum Curidas. Then, Moonman (also named Majohn) created its personal version of the current Pilot Capless model, albeit with the addition of a clipless version. And soon afterwards came the A2 model, a revision of the faceted FCN Pilot model of the 1990s.

And some months ago was is the turn of another Chinese brand—Jinhao and its model 10.

Jinhao 10.

As was the case of the Moonman, the looks and structure of the Jinhao 10 are almost identical to those of the Pilot Capless. And the most obvious difference among the three of them is the central ring, as can be seen on the picture.

From top to bottom, Pilot Capless, Jinhao 10 and Moonman A1.

In the case of the black-matte finish, the variation I got my hands on, the Jinhao is closer in color and texture to the original Japanese than the Moonman, darker and shinier.

These are the dimensions of the three pens:

	.Pilot Capless.	.Jinhao 10.	.Moonman A1.
Length closed (mm)	141	142	142
Length open (mm)	137	138	139
Max diameter (mm)	13.2	13.0	12.9
Weight, dry (g)	30.0	33.2	33.7
Ink deposit (ml)	0.9 (cart) 0.5 (CON-40)	0.9 (cart) 0.3 (conv)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)

The Jinhao nib is very similar to that of the Moonman. On both cases they are made of steel, and their geometries are apparently the same. However, the feeds show different markings on the sides of the ink channels. Jinhao's nib come as F and as EF, whereas Moonman's units are only EF.

From top to bottom, Pilot's 18 K gold nib (M), Jinhao's steel nib (F), and Moonman's A1 steel nib (EF).

The cartridge-to-nib coupling on the Jinhao is, at least on my unit, precarious and unsecured. The user might be inclined to ink it solely through the converter despite its very limited capacity to avoid unnecessary risks. Or he could try the Moonman converter—it fits and holds a greater volume of ink. And once you open that route, it is just about try and error.

So, all in all, it seems that the Jinhao is less capable and reliable that the Moonman, but their bottom line is the same—low cost capless pens with the looks of a Pilot.

Asvine V126 – Waterman's Florida Blue

Bruno Taut
January 30th, 2025
label: Pilot, Moonman, Jinhao, capless

Music Mini

Yet another example of a music nib.

Japanese pen makers have remained faithful to the idea of the music nib for a long time, and that despite their absence in the catalog of Western makers for many years. Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor did preserve them in the meantime, although the later of them, Sailor, did simplify it by removing one slit and transforming it into a stub nib.

Sailor did make three-tine nibs in the past. Actually, Masa Sunami and Andreas Lambrou show one such example on their book Fountain Pens of Japan: a humble Sailor Candy from 1979 with a music nib made of steel.

However, the balance model Profit (1911 in many markets) was initially marketed in 1981, and since then implements a new nib whose music version with just one slit and two tines.

The pen I am showing today was made in 1966 and its music nib preserves the traditional geometry. It is also a pocket pen, named Mini by Sailor since its creation in 1963.

Sailor Mini with a three-tine music nib.

This music nib is made of 18 K gold and is not marked with any inscription showing the nib point. It just says Sailor, the gold purity, and the JIS mark. The nib point, though, is revealed on the sticker attached to the cap, together with the original prince of the pen—JPY 3000.

The main character of the story.

These are the dimensions of this pen:

Length closed: 125 mm
Length open: 95 mm
Length posted: 145 mm
Diameter: 12.0 mm
Weight: 14.0 g (dry with empty cartridge)
Ink deposit: 1.2 ml (Sailor cartridge)

Within the Mini lineup of Sailor, this pen belongs to the more luxurious tier: gold trim, 18 K nib, 18 K gold plated cap band.

Five different Sailor Mini with the same size and shape. The three top pens are GT --gold trim-- and implement 18 K gold nibs and 18 K gold plated cap bands. The lower two pens use 14 K gold nibs.

How common were these music nibs? Hard to say, but those Sailor Mini are easy to find in flea markets and pen shows, and usually they are very inexpensive. However, the vast majority of those Sailor pens implement F and M nibs, and music and B nibs are rarities.

Writing sample with this Sailor music nib.

So, this is “yet another music nib”, but not just any music nib.

Antigua's Yatate II – Aurora Black

Bruno Taut
December 30th, 2024
label: Sailor, plumín, plumín musical

On Route

Come Fall and my time for pen shows starts. Paris, Tokyo, and finally Madrid.

From Friday 15th to Sunday 17th, the Madrid Pen Show will take place at Centro de Negocios MEEU (Calle Agustín de Foxá 40, 28036 Madrid; in the Chamartín Station Complex). In there, around 70 dealers and an enthusiastic pen community will gather around pens and inks.

And I am just starting my journey to attend the event. Say hello if you happened to be there.

Lotus Maharaja with Custom Nib Studio nib – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
November 10th, 2024
etiquetas: evento, Madrid

Mr. Niikura

Today I woke up to very sad news: Mr. Niikura has passed away. He was 84 years old.

Mr. Niikura teaching at a Wagner meeting in 2010.

Yes, Mr. Pilot is no longer with us, and his generosity providing information on Pilot and on Japanese pens in general is forever gone.

I had the immense luck of sharing many pen meetings with him, and I owe him a great deal of all I know about pens. That, I think, could be said by many of whose attending those reunions, where Mr. Niikura shared his knowledge and expertise after a life working for Pilot.

You will be missed, Mr. Niikura.

Sit tibi terra levis.

Pilot Grandee Urushi – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
November 2nd, 2024
label: Pilot, evento

Quattro Box

Pen boxes―love them, ignore them, hate them. Boxes―thrown away or kept?

A lot can be said about them, but today I am not speaking about them in general but just about one in particular: that of the Pilot Quattro 89.

This pen, recently reviewed, implements a small size 3 nib in an unusual body, squarish in profile. This pen was certainly not an entry level model, but neither was a top luxurious unit. The price, JPY 30000, was on pair with that of the Custom 823 with a size 15 nib. So, I guess, this Quattro was for those who favored style and originality over function.

Same price--Custom 823 and Quattro 89.

And the Quattro box does reflect that. The package includes a folder with an instruction sheet specifically printed for the model, a translucent sheet with some “Engrish” ideas (“sincerity, considerate, stately, originality”), and three sheets of high quality paper together with three envelopes made of the same paper. And all of them discretely show the squarish logo of the pen model.

Note the logo on all the elements on the pic--letter paper, envelope and pen cap.

The bilingual sheet of instructions. More Engrish...

The package is certainly original and elegant without being overwhelming. However, what do those sheets of paper and envelopes add to the pen?

And, finally, how many Quattros were sold thanks to the paper and the packaging?

Lamy LX – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
October 20th, 2024
etiquetas: Pilot

Edible Ink

This is the last ink I have bought:

Squid ink.

At least, it is not just edible but delicious.

Arròs negre.

However, beyond the obvious joke, the underlying question is how much ink do we need, and how much ink do we accumulate. And what we do with it!

My latest inventory showed about 5 liters of ink, and that without collecting them. Possibly, dare I say, this accumulation is the result of many years of pen collecting and of writing about pens; plus some donations from friends and readers of these pages.

A small sample of my inks.

But what can we do with so much ink? That is why I'd rather buy edible ink.

Parker 75 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
October 17th, 2024
etiquetas: tinta

Paris 2024

But not the Olympic Games--the Paris Pen Show.

Last weekend (October 5th and 6th), the first Paris Pen Show was celebrated at the Hôtel de l'industrie. It was a two-day event, organized by Stylographie, a magazine on the matter.

The Pen Show attracted over 30 dealers and about 800 visitors, although this official figure is questioned by a number of dealers and visitors. The total available space was 270 square meters divided in two lounges.

This decision, two different spaces, caused some problems. A number of aficionados, and even some organizers, were not aware of the smaller exhibition area with just half a dozen dealers. But at the same time, the bigger lounge lacked light and became crowded hampered by the narrow circulation areas in between dealers.

Then, how was this event? One more pen show is always good news, but good wishes are not enough for it to succeed.

Paris, always attractive, is also unbelievably expensive, this creates a number of obstacles  for all the parties involved—expensive hotels, expensive meals, expensive transportation...

Attracting visitors is never easy—you must organize the event, advertise it, and then... cross your fingers. Making it a paying event –EUR 10 per day, EUR 20 for early admission on Saturday-- filters some uninterested public, but also reduces the capability to reach newer and younger aficionados, and the current demographic of the European stylophile is far from being young.

800 visitors, then, is not a bad figure, but as mentioned before, some dealers were skeptical about it. And on top of that, the volume of business was not what some expected. Not enough visitors? Expensive pens? Mismatched supply and demand? Who knows...

This Pen Show was good news, but more work needs to be done.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
October 10th, 2024
labels: evento, París

Quattro, Second Edition

In the year 89 of the Pilot era, that is, 2007, Pilot released the Pilot Quattro 89, this time with two t.

The Quatro (1984) and the Quattro (2007).

Nominally, this pen would be an evolution of the Quatro from 1984, but this new pen is a lot more standard within the Pilot structure of fountain pens.

On this newer model, the external shape is still squarish on profile, but the section is basically cylindrical, thus easing the grip. This mismatch results on a sharp step between section and barrel that might be uncomfortable for some users.

The nib on the Quattro is a size 3 in the Custom family of Pilot pens. This size might very well be the lest known in the lineup, but it has been implemented on half a dozen models including the Custom 98 and the Stella 90. This nib size comes in five points (EF, F, FM, M, B), albeit only F and M were available on the Quattro 89.

As for the rest, the barrel is made of wood, synthetic wood according to some, in several colors. It is long and wide enough to fit the converter CON-70.

The barrel end, engraved with the model name, is threaded for a secure posting without affecting the body. It is interesting to note how the threads, on both ends and on the cap, are measured to reach a perfect alignment of the facets on cap and barrel when closed or posted.

The dimensions of the Quattro 89 are as follows:

Length closed: 134 mm.
Length open: 116 mm.
Length posted: 173 mm.
Width: 13.5-14.0 mm.
Weight: 35.6 g (dry with converter).

This pen model was short lived―by 2011 it no longer appeared on the catalog of Pilot.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Sailor Ink Studio 252

Bruno Taut
October 4th, 2024
etiquetas: Pilot

Oshare Quatro

Or, in English, fashionable, stylish.

That is what the ad claims about the Pilot Quatro in 1985, a year after the release of the model.

The ad only mentions fountain pens (her) and ball pens (him). However, the whole line up including roller and mechanical pencil appears at the end.

Well, maybe the cat ate those two...

Opus 88 Koloro orange – Caran d'Ache Electric Orange

Bruno Taut
October 2nd, 2024
etiquetas: Pilot

Quatro

Now and then, pen companies try to reinvent the wheel and in their strive for originality depart from the traditional well proven cylindrical shape, and by cylindrical I mean cylindrical symmetry. Some of those unusual designs did become popular and even iconic, but non-cylindrical pens are rare.

In 1984, Pilot marketed one such unusual—a pen with a squarish profile, a square prism in essence.

Pilot's Catalog from 1984. The Quatro trio—fountain pen, ball pen and mechanical pencil. All for JPY 11000. In this case, the nib was made of steel.

Pilot's 1989 Catalog. Quatro quartets —fountain pen, ball pen, mechanical pencil, roller pen— for JPY 27000. On this case, the fountain pen sports the gold nib (individual price, JPY 10000). On the right page, a view of the possible colors and finishes of the Quatro model. There were some aditional variations.

That was the Quatro (with just a single T), and it was available as fountain pen, roller, ball pen and mechanical pencil. They came in a number of colors and finishes –up to 16 according to some sources—, but some of them were only available as fountain pen. And to add confusion to the mix, there were some minor variations along the whole lineup—the brand name, Pilot, could be engraved on the front of the cap or on the cap; the model name was printed on the clip either on cursive script or on capital letters, or being completely absent.

A small collection of Quatro pens.

The gold nib. In F, of course.

The matte black Quatro.

Two nib materials were available: steel, for JPY 5000, and 14 K gold, JPY 10000. There was only one nib point—F. And the filling system was, needless to say, through proprietary cartridges and converters.

I do not have information on when this model was discontinued. My best guess, purely speculative, is in the early 1990s. However, the name Quatro was revived in 2007 through the model Quattro 89. But that will be the topic of another Chronicle.

My thanks to Mr. Furuya and Mr. Niikura.

WiPens Toledo – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
September 30th, 2024
etiquetas: Pilot