Shijin

NOTE: On January 13th (2017) I have made some minor additions to this text following the indications of some commentators.


Pilot has often used the anniversary pens as a mean to test the market and introduce new models and styles into their pen catalog. On these Chronicles we have already seen some examples. The Custom 65 (1983, 65th anniversary of Pilot) started the path for balance Custom such as 67, 74, etc. The flat top model of 1988, 70th anniversary, gave rise to the short lived Custom 72 and to a number of pens made for somehow special occasions. The urushi coated model of the 75th anniversary (1993) was the forerunner of the vest type (in Pilot jargon) Custom 845.

For its 80th anniversary, Pilot launched several pens. On the most luxurious side there was a trio of flat tops lavishly decorated with maki-e. That was the “Miyabi” set, with a price of JPY 800,000 each pen. More affordable –a lot more— was the set of pens of this Chronicle.

The two Shijin pens.

These pens are a balance model of intermediate size between the Custom series (nib sizes 3, 5, 10, 15) and the Emperor size (nib size 50) jumbo pen. This anniversary pen introduced a new nib that was later labeled as 20. It is about the same size as the 15, but with a different geometry. Its filling system is by cartridges and converters.

The nibs are, in actual terms, of size 20 (Pilot/Namiki system), made of 18 K gold. On the top left corner, the decorated cap band of the black pen.

Inside, a converter (on the pic) or a cartridge. On this case, the converter CON-70 is painted in black. Despite the rumor, it is not lacquered. On the pen body, the collective signature of the group of maki-e artisans of Pilot or kokkokai. Right under it, not visible on the pic, the unit number of this pen is engraved. This is, after all, a limited edition.

Externally, these 80th anniversary pens are coated with urushi and a decorative band on the cap made with the technique of “togidashi maki-e“. This band depicts four mythological animals gods (Shijin, 四神) of the Chinese tradition, also common in Japan.

Two colors were available –red (shu urushi, 朱) and black (ro-iro urushi, 呂色). 1918 numbered units of both combined, black pens numbered first. They are signed collectively by the “kokkokai” (國光會), the guild of maki-e craftsmen of Pilot instead of by any of them in particular. 1918, let us remember, is the year when Pilot started its business.

These two anniversary pens were the prototypes of the Yukari Royale series branded as Namiki. The first Yukari Royale would show up in the market in February of 2003, while the urushi lacquered versions were only available in Sept of 2007. The Yukari Royale, with a size 20 nib, is the other quintessential Namiki pen together with the size 50 jumbo. The other nib sizes used by Namiki, 5 and 10, are also implemented on Pilot models.

The basic Yukari Royale pens are decorated in plain black and red urushi, and in fact Pilot/Namiki does not call them “Yukari Royale” but “Urushi Collection No. 20”. The differences between these are the old Pilot Shijin pens are purely cosmetic: the Namiki carry no decorative band on the cap, the nib simply says Namiki, and the clip is gold plated instead of lacquered.

On top, the old Shijin pen from 1998. On bottom, the currently produced Namiki Urushi No. 20. In essence, these two pens are identical--same brass-made pen with urushi decoration.

The nibs of the pens of the previous picture are engraved differently. After all, one is a Pilot; the other, a Namiki. In both cases, the feeds are made of plastic (like in any other Pilot/Namiki pen currently on production).

These are the dimensions of the Shijin pens:
Length closed: 149 mm
Length open: 134 mm
Length posted: 174 mm
Diameter: 17 mm
Weight: 45 g (black unit, dry, with converter)
Ink deposit: 0.9 ml (cartridge), 1.0 ml (CON-70 converter).

The original price of this limited edition was JPY 80,000 (plus tax, 5% at the time). The current price of the “Namiki Urushi Collection No. 20” is JPY 128,000 (plus 8% of taxes).

The red Shijin pen was on display at the Pilot Museum in Tokyo, the defunct and sadly missed Pen Station. The reference of the Shijin pen is the FF-8MR (plus -BM for the black pen, or -RM for the red), and its price was JPY 80,000. The second reference corresponds to the Miyabi pens, whose price was JPY 800,000.

Pilot 80th anniversary in shu urushi – PGary’s Red Black

Bruno Taut
Nakano, January 9th 2017
etiquetas: Pilot, maki-e, urushi

A Non-Pilot Pilot

This text is the result of a collaborative effort: my friend Antolin2.0 found the pen and started asking questions and finding some answers. My contribution was limited to answering a couple of them and writing this text.


The pen Antolin2.0 found is the following—an inexpensive Pilot Super with an inscription in Bulgarian: балканкар България, Balkancar Bulgaria. The seller, from Leipzig, had said that he had got the pen at an industrial fair in the times of the German Democratic Republic. Balkancar was a public company dedicated to the production of heavy machinery, and it is still active.

The Bulgarian-Japanese-German pen.

On its side, the pen is clearly signed as Pilot. It is in all aspects one of the inexpensive Super models, albeit the nib geometry does not really match that of the early models.

So the first question is served: how could these two worlds –a Socialist company and a Capitalist pen— come together?

Historian Evgeni Kandilarov explains it in his book Bulgaria and Japan: From the Cold War to the Twenty-first Century (Sofia, 2009). In the 1960s, Kandilarov explains, the need to open markets for the fast growing Japanese economy matched the search for new technology of some Socialist countries outside the Socialist bloc. Contacts between Japan and Bulgaria started in 1959 (resumption of diplomatic relations), and by the mid 1960s companies Balkancar and Fujitsu Ltd. signed an agreement according to which the Bulgarian party would produce electronic devices and distribute them in the COMECON market. And that was just the beginning—some joint ventures followed soon afterwards and the economic ties between the two countries became very stable.

Evgeni Kandilarov's book Bulgaria and Japan: From the Cold War to the Twenty-first Century (Sofia, 2009). (http://www.tokyofoundation.org/en/articles/2013/bulgaria-and-japan-from-the-cold-war-to-the-twenty-first-century).

Therefore, the Bulgarian connection of this pen is easy to understand. But the pen, surprisingly, not so much.

New questions arise when the pen is disassembled. The nib is engraved with some elements apparently contradictory. On one hand, it is made in Japan, and the logo of the Japan Industrial Standards really supports this idea. But on the other hand, the manufacturing date includes an F: F467.

Letter F was understood to be associated to nibs made outside Japan, at any of the facilities Pilot had in India, Burma, Brazil… The manufacturing date –April of 1967—is also puzzling for a Super model. The same can be said about the logo, which corresponds to the 1950s and early 1960s.

The nib, at first sight, is a collection of contradictions.

Finally, Pilot pens of that time --1967—were engraved on the barrel with a manufacturing date code. On this pen, however, that inscription only says “PILOT / MADE IN / JAPAN”. And there is no hint of the model number—Super pens, might be worth remember, were numbered between 50 and 500.

So, this pen shows a number of contradicting and anachronistic elements.

Further questioning of the usual suspects revealed a surprising fact—this pen was not made by Pilot.

The story goes that once the early Super model was phased out, in the early 1960s, Pilot passed the machinery to a company named Fuji, also in Hiratsuka, where the main Pilot plant lies. Fuji, in return, manufactured pens only for export. The F in the manufacturing date is presumed to mean Fuji. Consequently, this pen was made in Japan.

So, all in all, what we have here is a Pilot Super pen, made by a company named Fuji in 1967 in Hiratsuka, Japan. The pen was likely to be exported to Bulgaria, and was chosen by the state company Balkancar as promotional advertisement gift.

More pictures are available on the following link to the Spanish forum "Foro de Estilográficas": http://estilograficas.mforos.com/1218373/12842260-una-pilot-super-50-de-la-rda-la-conexion-bulgara/

Lamy Safari – Lamy Blue

Antolin2.0 & Bruno Taut
Madrid & Nakano, Fall of 2016
etiquetas: Pilot, Bulgaria, Japón, Fuji

Storia 20 ml.

Not much has happened recently in the ink department in Japan. In 2016 we saw the reissue of some old Sailor inks; and in 2015 Sailor released the last real new ink—the pigmented series Storia, composed by eight different colors. In parallel, of course, some shops have made their own “original” inks that, in actual terms, are nothing but Sailor dye-based inks (Jentle line of inks). And that is all, and it is not that much.

The new presentation--20 ml bottles is smaller boxes.

The brochure provides general information on the virtues of pigmented inks and includes the capacity and price of the new inkwells.

The new and smaller inkwell.

The December news is just a new presentation of the Storia inks. Now, Sailor offers them also in 20 ml bottles for a lower price—JPY 1000, plus tax. This price is the same per milliliter as the original presentation of 30 ml bottles: JPY 50/ml.

The old presentation of 30 ml bottles.

This new presentation was released on December 23rd --4000 units-- through the network of Sailor Friendly Shops. On January 20th, they will become available through regular retailers… At least in Japan.

Press release available here: http://www.sailor.co.jp/pdf/release/storia20ml_20161221.pdf (retrieved December 29th, 2016).

Clavijo Velasco Ro-iro – Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

Bruno Taut
Nakano, December 29th 2016
etiquetas: tinta, Sailor, mercado

Madrid in November (2016)

It is over a month now since the 2016 Madrid Pen Show and a review is long overdue.

This was the 13th edition of the Madrid event, and my personal 7th. About 1300 visitors, 65 traders, and three days of gathering together made it the most important in Europe nowadays. Traders came from all over Europe –France, UK, Italy, Germany, Croatia…– and from North America. And on this occasion also there were also visitors, potential buyers, from outside of Spain. This represents a quantum leap forward in the natural evolution of this pen show.

Personally speaking, this was a most interesting event. The Madrid Pen Show is the major celebration of the Spanish fountain pen community, and therefore this is both a commercial event and a social meeting. Both aspects can be seen on one of the classic features of the show—the video made by Mr. José Riofrío.

Now, is there anything really special in this event with respect to other pen shows? What does it make any pen show different from the rest? Guest visitors SBRE Brown and Azizah Asgarali (Gourmet Pens) have some ideas, and some experience on other pen shows (::1::, ::2::, ::3::, ::4::).

Ethernautrix on FPN also attended the show.

Organizer Alfonso Mur, one of the owners of sponsor Iguana Sell, and two illustrious visitors.

Clavijo Velasco Ro-iro – Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

Bruno Taut
Nakano, December 22th, 2016
etiquetas: Madrid, evento

Family Portait (VII). Integrated Nibs

There is an obvious missing pen on the picture. In fact, the missing pen is the one which started the whole trend—the Parker T1 made in titanium. But for the rest, they are basically all that there is to integrated nibs. From top, clockwise:

-- Pilot M90 (M nib). Manufacturing date, 2009
-- Pilot Murex, black (for man). M nib. Made in 1980.
-- Pilot Murex red (for woman). F nib. Made in 1978.
-- Parker 50, falcon, in brown. Ca. 1980.
-- Hero 849. 1980s.
-- Parker 50, falcon, flighter. Ca. 1980.
-- Pilot Myu with black strips, M nib. Manufacturing date not declared. 1970s.
-- Pilot Myu, plain steel, F nib. Made in 1977.

A detail both interesting and surprising is how the nib points (the iridium) were cut. In this regard, the presumably sophisticated American pen really falls behind the Japanese and Chinese counterparts.

The nib of the Hero 849 was also implemented in the model 850, and in several other branded as Paidi Century. These nibs are all identical.

Platinum 3776 (1978) – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
Nakano, September 20th, 2016
etiquetas: Hero, Parker, Pilot, plumín

Another Music Nib

Ah, the fascination for the third tine…

Today’s pen is a so far unknown model. We can date it, however, to have been made in the second half of the 1970s. The actual production dates are April of 1977 for the nib, and May 16 of 1977 for the body.

Its inlaid nib certainly reminds of a good number of units present in some Custom and some Elite (::1::, ::2::) models, but this pen carries no inscription on the actual model name. Anyway, this three-tined ni bis particularly interesting and unusual due to its inlaid geometry. It is made of 18 K gold.

As for the filling system, this pen uses Pilot cartridges (single spare) and converters –CON-20, CON-40, CON-50. Converter CON-70 does not fit in the barrel.

These are the dimensions of the pen:

Length closed: 135 mm
Length open: 121 mm
Length posted: 150.5 mm
Diameter: 13.5 mm
Weight: 17.2 g (dry, with CON-50)
Ink deposit: between 0.4 ml (CON-40) and 0.9 ml (cartridge)

Pilot Muy-701 – Montblanc White Forest
Bruno Taut
Shinjuku, Oct 16th 2016
etiquetas: Pilot, plumín, plumín musical

Las Danitrio Japonesas

Some weeks ago, my fellow blogger and friend Pedro Haddock published a very interesting article on a Danitrio pen on his blog “El pajarete orquidiado”. I then thought that I could offer some additional information on the story of the Ban-ei pens commissioned by Danitrio in the mid 1990s. This is the resulting text, this time written in Spanish as the information in this language on Danitrio is scarce.

I also wanted to recommend a visit to Pedro Haddock’s blog, one of the most interesting pen blogs written in Spanish. Remember that online translators are there to help you.


Danitrio, como ya está bien explicado, es esa empresa californiana fundada por el taiwanés Bernard Lyn que ahora se centra en plumas de lujo con decoración maki-e. El embrujo de esta decoración de Asia Oriental atrapó a su fundador alrededor del año 2000, pero previamente había hecho alguna aproximación muy interesante. Para explicarla hay que retroceder bastantes años.

La figura de Sakai Eisuke tiene algo de mito en Japón. Nació en 1916 y desde su adolescencia estuvo dedicado a aprender los secretos del “rokuro”, el torno tradicional japonés. Alrededor de los años 70 dirigió un pequeño grupo de artesanos –Tsuchida, Ginjiro, Nakamura, Takahashi— en la producción de unas plumas de gran calidad, pero sin nombre. Son las denominadas “Ban-ei” (挽栄), que era el nombre de trabajo de Sakai Eisuke, o “Tsuchida” (Tsuchida Shuichi), que era el encargado del montaje final de las piezas. En muchas de ellas, la única marca que permite su identificación es el grabado de las letras GK en el plumín. GK era Kabutogi Ginjiro, pero no era el único proveedor de plumines para estas plumas, por lo que hay otras plumas con el mismo origen, pero sin grabado identificador alguno.

Varios ejemplos de plumas Ban-ei.

Casi todas estas viejas Ban-ei eran plumas de cuentagotas con válvula de cierre (sistema de cuentagotas japonés), aunque hay ejemplos de llenado por “plunger filler”. Casi todas ellas están decoradas con laca urushi, o con motivos maki-e muy discretos. Pero hay un reducido número de plumas con decoraciones muy lujosas, habitualmente producto de encargos especiales.

Las fechas de esta operación son inciertas y nunca está claro cuáles son los artesanos que intervienen en cada una de esas plumas. Las plumas más recientes de este grupo son de 2004. Y Sakai Eisuke falleció en 2011.

Tres Ban-ei. La primera desde arriba lleva el grabado el nombre Ban-ei en la banda del capuchón. Las otras dos, no.

Dos de los plumines (en el centro y a la derecha) llevan grabadas las iniciales GK, de Kabutogi Ginjiro. El tercero (a la izquierda), perteneciente a la encargada por Danitrio, no. Este plumín fue fabricado por Sailor Platinum.

El anonimato de este grupo se rompió brevemente a mediados de los años 90. Bernard Lyn les propuso hacer una serie de plumas para Danitrio. Llevarían grabado el nombre Ban-ei, en japonés y en caracteres latinos (挽栄 - Ban-ei), y serían unas ediciones limitadas de pocos cientos de unidades. Y Danitrio no las firmaba.

Tres Danitrio japonesas.

En los capuchones, a la izquierda, se pueden ver los grabados "Ban-ei". El más cercano de los plumines fue hecho por Kabuitogi Ginjiro. Los otros dos son Sailor Platinum.

Estas son las Danitrio Ban-ei, las Danitrio japonesas: plumas hechas en Japón, por un grupo de venerables artesanos japoneses para una empresa estadounidense dirigida por un taiwanés. Todas ellas son plumas de cuentagotas japonés y con decoración de laca urushi o maki-e muy discreto. Los plumines son, en su gran mayoría, Sailor Platinum, aunque hay un reducido número de ellos hechos por el mencionado Kabutogi Ginjiro. Estos llevan una inscripción en japonés: 復刻手造万年筆, réplica hecha a mano. ¡Réplica hecha por el propio Kabutogi!

Una Danitrio Ban-ei con decoración "shu-urushi".

Al contrario que las Ban-ei quasi-anónimas, estas Danitrio japonesas se encuentran más fácilmente fuera de Japón. Al fin y al cabo, Danitrio tiene su mercado, sobre todo, en Estados Unidos.


NOTA añadida en junio de 2017: He hecho unas correcciones sobre la procedencia de los plumines de las Danitrio Ban-ei, que son Platinum en lugar de Sailor, como erróneamente decía. Más información, en la crónica On Ban-ei Nibs.

Ban-ei con plumín Henckel – Pilot azul

Bruno Taut
Nakano, octubre de 2016
etiquetas: Ban-ei, Danitrio, Kabutogi Ginjiro, Japón, Estados Unidos, maki-e, urushi, Platinum