Added Value

Regular commenter Saltire Turquoise posed a very interesting question to my initial description of Sakai Eisuke's prototypes made for Pilot in early 1980s: Why can't Pilot make pens like those?

Although probably intended as rhetorical, it does trigger some reflections on the current situation of the pen market.

The first and easy answer to that question is a series of economic concerns—is there a market for those pens? Would they be economically viable?

It is worth to remember that Pilot does have a pen with similar characteristics to those prototypes: ebonite, urushi, Japanese eyedropper... but just bigger, much bigger—the Namiki Urushi 50. And this pen has a price of JPY 150000 in Japan. Expensive or not is anybody's guess, but it is not a pen you see everyday in the hands of aficionados.

From back to front, Pilot Urushi 50 (prior in time to the current Namiki model), Sakai's #10 and Sakai's #3.

However, I can think of a good argument for the marketing of pens like those Saltire Turquoise craved for–those prototypes and smaller versions of the Namiki Urushi 50.

In recent years we have seen how some Chinese companies have copied some very iconic Japanese (and other) fountain pens—Pilot Capless, Pilot Custom Urushi, Sailor ProGear, Platinum Curidas are some examples of pens with Chinese counterparts at much lower prices.

Jinhao or Sailor?

Lanbitou or Platinum?

In this scenario, little can the Japanese companies do save increase the value of their products. And pens like those Sakai's prototypes or like some older models offer interesting templates of what could offer that added value to their catalogs.

The critical question, however, can only be answered experimentally—is the market ready for those more expensive pens?

Thanks, Saltire Turqouise, for your questions.

Pilot Custom 748 – Pilot (Thai) Black

Bruno Taut
March 26th 2024
Etiquetas: Pilot, Sakai Eisuke, mercado, Japón

Sakai's #3

On the previous text I spoke about a couple of Pilot prototypes made by Sakai Eisuke in the early 1980s. These pens are urushi-coated balance units with Japanese eyedropper filling system.

The bigger of them implements a well-known size 10 nib, and I will go back to it on another text. Today I want to speak about the other pen, that with a size 3 nib: about what it is and about what it is not.

And this size 3 nib is not a modern size 3 nib. This nib size, not very popular, is implemented in current models Grance, and in discontinued Legance 89s, Legno 89s and Stella 90s.

The obviously different size 3 nibs. The Sakai's pen on top; a Stella 90 on bottom.

On the contrary, this nib is much closer, but not identical, to those made in the 1920s and 1930s. Its engraving, actually, follows the pattern seen on Pilot pens from the early 1920s.

The nib on the right belongs to the 1980s Sakai Eisuke pen. The other three nibs belong to late 1920s Pilot pens.

Exceptional size 8 Pilot nib from early 1920s. It belongs to a hoshiawase pen. Photo courtesy of Mr. Syrigonakis.

Then, where does this prototype nib come from? Is it an old nib that came in handy for the occasion? A newly crafted unit for the pen, either by Pilot or by some friend of Mr. Sakai's?

Hard to say as there's hardly any information on these singular pens. And when there is nothing we still have the pen...

Opus 88 Koloro – Caran d'Ache Electric Orange

Bruno Taut
March 18th, 2024
etiquetas: Sakai Eisuke, Pilot, plumín

Footnote

The world of prototypes is an uncharted one. And that despite the fact that we certainly know that they existed and how the final result –the marketed model– looked like.

But what we do not know far exceeds those basic facts: who made them? How many of them were made? How many iterations did the idea go before settling on the final design? Why and how were those prototypes released into the wild?

From a historical point of view, their interest –dare I say– is limited. Sure they inform the creative process to reach the final model, but their intrinsic scarcity makes more of the anecdote than a reference in themselves. The model is the story, the prototype is the footnote.

But that singularity is what attracts the attention of collectors and what brings prices up on those rare occasions those pens show up in the market.

The following two pens are prototypes of what later became the balance Custom models in the Pilot catalog (Custom 67, 74, 742, etc.). The man behind them, commissioned by Pilot, was lathe master Sakai Eisuke (酒井栄助) in early 1980s.

Two prototypes by Sakai Eisuke for Pilot.

Mr. Sakai looked back in the Pilot catalog to recreate the balance models of the brand in the early 1930s. As a result, these pens are made of ebonite, coated with urushi, and implement the very traditional Japanese eyedropper filling system.

Both of them have their bodies engraved in the same way, copying the style of those old Pilots: “PILOT” / THE PILOT PEN (P logo) MFG. CO. LTD. / MADE IN JAPAN. Note, though, that the P logo, P encircled by a lifebuoy, was adopted in 1938 and that those models from the early 1930s used a similar logo but with an N, Namiki, instead of the P.

The most significant difference between those two pens, aside of the size, lies on the nibs.

The smaller pen sports a size 3 nib with a very old fashioned engraving: WARRANTED / 14 K / PILOT / 3. It is not dated, and it is matched with a very generous ebonite feed.

The size 3 nib with the very generous feed made of ebonite.

The bigger unit has a size 10 nib similar to those present on models like the Custom 742. However, on this case the nib is not numbered as 10. Is is dated September 1983. The feed is also a contemporary unit made of plastic with the interesting detail of a shortened tail to accommodate the seal of the Japanese eyedropper system.

The size 10 nib made September 1983.

These are the dimensions of the pen together with those of a Custom 74:

	.Size 3.	.Size 10.	.Custom. 74
Length closed (mm)	137	146	143
Length open (mm)	120	124	125.5
Length posted (mm)	166	176	160
Max diameter (mm)	13.8	15.0	14.5
Weight, dry (g)	13.9	18.6	21.3
Ink deposit (ml)	2.6	2.7	1.0 (*)

(*) Capacity of converter CON-70. Other options are available.

From front to back, Sakai's #3, Sakai's #10, and Custom 74.

All in all, Sakai Eisuke combined his expertise in Japanese eyedroppers with the old aesthetics of the 1930s, balance Pilot pens. And at the end, from the prototype to the final model, only the basic shape was preserved.

One could argue, then, that the prototype was not representative of the final model, but this fact only adds appeal to these footnotes to the basic story.

Pilot Custom 748 – Pilot (Thai) Black

Bruno Taut
March 14th, 2024
etiquetas: Sakai Eisuke, Pilot

Timber! Timber! TIPS 2023

The 2023 Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS) took place during the first weekend of November 3rd to 5th, and it´s time to reflect on it and on the new trends in the market. Needless to say, what I might write is just my perception and I am sure I am missing many other movements.

First, the pen show in itself. 3 days, 180 tables, five shifts to attend it, most of them sold out. The figures clearly speak of a big success. It might not be what you expect from a pen show, but this East Asian style pen show does work, and, best of all, attracts younger generations of stationery aficionados.

And that because, as I have repeatedly said, TIPS is not a pen show but a stationery fair where many vendors simply display their latest products. More on this later.

The shift system –you pay to enter the show during a limited period of just four hours, morning or afternoon- is one of the unfortunate aftereffects of the pandemic years. What initially was a good idea to limit the number of people at the lounge at once and thus limiting the risk of infection is now an excuse to increase the total number of visitors and the revenue associated to selling tickets. The downside of it is easy to understand—this fair is not a meeting point for aficionados but just a market place where you better rush to see it all and to execute your purchases.

On this occasion, 2023, the large number of vendors –180- pushed the organizers to use two lounges on two different floors in the building. Moving between them could be very easy, but the organizers decided to make it difficult and unpleasant despite giving you a paper bracelet as soon as you entered the fair. It looked like they did not trust their own controlling mechanisms. But do not ask difficult questions...

So, what was on offer at TIPS 2023? More of the same things we saw on previous years: very few second hand and vintage pens, many more new pens, inks, paper, assorted paraphernalia...

Assortted paraphernalia...

However, I could see some new trends:

1. Timber, timber, timber! It seems wood lathes are on sale and the number of people making wooden pens –fountain pens, ball pens, mechanical pencils-- was surprising. But, is the market big enough for so many operations?

Timber! Timber!

2. Emerging markets. TIPS was a success in previous years and some see this event as a good stage to present new companies and new products. In previous years we saw some European and American traders. This year, we also saw dealers from India, PR China and Turkey.

An Indian trader--Endless.

3. Urushi might be from East Asia, but now it is everywhere. And by urushi I also mean urushi-based decorative techniques. At TIPS 2023 we could see some interesting examples of urushi and raden decorated pens made in India and in Turkey.

Urushi-nuri and raden from Turkey.

Conclusions:

– The TIPS model –a stationery fair- works and is here to stay. Its ability to attract younger aficionados is a powerful argument to support this event in the years to come. Pens might not be the argument to attract them, but it does not matter as long as they come.

– New trends come and go. Wooden pens and urushi-decorated pens might be fashionable now, but everything can change overnight.

– Look out for products and companies coming from emerging markets as they will pose a very serious competition to well established companies.

Would I come again? Not sure. I always end up disappointed, but it is a good place to find out what is going on in the world of stationery.

Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
November 8th, 2023
etiquetas: mercado, evento, Tokyo, maki-e

The Four Seasons of Mr. Sato

(You shall excuse my recent silence on these pages. Some personal issues came in my way and had to pay attention to them. Hopefully I will be able to post more often in the following weeks).

In the last years we have seen how urushi-based decorative techniques have been adopted by a number of craftsmen well beyond the traditional locations in East Asia. Now we see urushi-decorated pens in Poland, Spain, Switzerland, USA, Turkey, India... and probably many more, plus some others waiting to be discovered.

In the meantime, the Japanese scene remains relatively calm. Sure some younger figures have made some beautiful noise –such is the brilliant case of Bokumondoh—, but there are some others hidden in their own studios scattered all around Japan. And few of them become known beyond their communities and customers.

Such is the case of Mr. Tateo Sato (佐藤建夫, Sato Tateo in Japanese), an urushi master from the mountains of Miyagi, about 350 km North of Tokyo. Mr. Sato was born in Miyagi in 1951 and has been active since very early age, first learning with masters Sawaguchi Shigeru, Nishiya Kazuo and Yamamoto Hideaki; and since 1981 as the head of his own studio in Narako, Miyagi.

And now, thanks to the initiative of Mr. Uehara Yûichi of Ohashido, another fellow from Miyagi, we can see some of the works of the urushi master. Uehara commissioned Sato Tateo with the decoration of some pens. The result, or part of it, is the following set of four pens:

The Four Seasons.

The name of the set is “The Four Seasons”, and the pens are individually named after some evocative Japanese word: tsukushi (土筆) for Spring, hotaru (蛍) for Summer, kagerô (蜻蛉) for Autumn, and tokiwa (常盤) for Winter.

Tsukushi for Spring. Note the signature near the pen end.

Tsukushi is a form of horsetail (equisetum) that grows in Spring. Initially it is yellowish in color.

Fireflies in Summer.

Hotaru is firefly. For this pen, Mr Sato used some subtle raden decoration combined with black urushi.

Dragonflies in Autumn.

Kagerô is an old word for dragonfly, an insect deeply associated with Autumn in Japan.

Evergreen Winter.

Tokiwa, finally, means evergreen、with its usual connotations of youth and longevity.

All four pens are signed with the kao –stylized signature— of the master.

As for the pen, not much can be said once you know the works of Mr. Uehara. They are regular Ohashido pens made of ebonite with a medium size nib (big in Sailor terms) made of 21 K gold, manufactured by Sailor.

The Sailor nib labeled as Ohashido.

Rare as these pens are, they won't become representative of the works made by Uehara and the Ohashido brand, but sure they will become collectibles sought after by aficionados. And maestro Sato might become better known.


My thanks to Poplicola-san.

Parker 50 “Falcon” – Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
November 6th, 2023
etiquetas: Ohashido, maki-e

New Izumo (II)

As we saw yesterday, Platinum has announced a new Izumo series of pens with a relatively new nib—a #3776 made of 18 K gold.

It could be argued that Platinum had paid attention to a typical complain—the President nib looks small on the Izumo pen. But how do President and #3776 nibs compare? Is the #3776 unit going to correct that perception?

The fact is that the #3776 is just slightly bigger than the President, as the following table shows:

	. President . 18 K Au	.#3776. . 14 K Au .
Total length (mm)	25.5	29.1
Exposed length (mm)	20.9	21.8
Width (mm)	8.1	8.6
Weight (g)	0.6	0.7

And a similar effect can be seen when comparing a #3776 Century and a President pen side by side. These two pens are very similar in dimensions.

President (top) and #3776 Century (bottom).

Izumo Akatamenuri (top) and President (bottom).

On the Izumo, the problem is the actual girth of the pen, significantly larger than that of the regular President:

	Izumo .Akatamenuri.	.President.	#3776 .Century.
Length closed (mm)	155	143	140
Length open (mm)	134	122	120
Max. diameter (cap) (mm)	17.5	16.0	15.3
Barrel Diameter (mm)	15.7	13.4	13.3

So, will the #3776 nib correct the perception of a small nib attached to a big pen? Only marginally, I'm afraid.

The actual problem of Platinum is the lack of a big nib, a nib comparable to the Sailor super big (King of Pen) or to the Pilot size 30 (Custom Urushi). And that is a serious handicap if you wanted to design and produce a big pen.

Pilot Custom 74, Yamada Seisakusho – Diamine Teal

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, April 26th, 2023
etiquetas: plumín, mercado, Platinum

New Izumo (I)

Platinum has just announced a new release of the well-known Izumo series of pens.

The name of this new variations is Iro Urushi, colored lacquer, and is composed by two models –Aitetsu Iro, a bluish green pen; and Budô Nezu, brown with greyish tones.

Platinum Izumo Iro Urushi Aitetsu Iro.

Budô Nezu Izumo. Note the silver trim on both pens.

But what might be more relevant to this new pens is the implementation of a different nib with an additional nib point. Traditionally, Izumo pens sport President nibs of 18 K gold with points F, M and B. The exception are the models made of weaved bamboo –the Yokoajiro and the Gozame with catalog references PBA–120000Y, and PBA-120000G, whose nibs are of the #3776 type.

The new nib. Or not so new. And for the first time, there will be Izumo pens with BB points.

And these #3776 nibs, rhodiated and made of 18 K Au, will also be used on the new Iro Urushi Izumo pens with the options of F, M, B and BB points.

Two questions remain open: will these #3776 nibs be implemented on the existing spindle-shape Izumo pens? How much will these Iro Urushi pens cost?

Parker 51 burgundy – Tomikei Blue (Sailor)

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, April 26th, 2023
etiquetas: plumín, maki-e, mercado, Platinum

CON-70N

On the previous text I mentioned that the Pilot Tsuwairo inks should not be used in the old converter CON-70. I am showing side-by-side pics of the old and the new versions of this converter.

Top, old CON-70. Bottom, CON-70N.

The same modifications were applied to the black version common to the urushi-based decorated pens under Pilot and Namiki brands.

There are a number of differences between them, but the one that looks more significant is the internal cylinder right behind the rubber stopper. Pilot, in fact, points at it when warning about the usage of Tsuwairo inks. The ink capacities of both versions have not changed significantly—they are 1.0 ml (with a margin of error of +-0.05 ml).

Pilot Custom 74, Yamada Seisakusho — Diamine Teal

Bruno Taut
February 15th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, conversor

Old vs. New. Regular vs. Tsuwairo Inks by Pilot.

Abstract.

Pilot has recently released a new line of inks called Tsuwairo (see Fig. 1). Interesting as these inks might be, they also come with a list of inconveniences the old inks in similar colors did not have.

How do these two lines of inks compare?

That is the question I want to answer on this text.

Figure 1.

Introduction.

Among the big three Japanese pen companies, Pilot was the last one to release a pigmented ink. The reason for that was that Pilot already had a permanent ink—the Pilot Blue-black ink. But in 2022, Pilot finally marketed three pigmented inks under the series name of Tsuwairo (強色; literally, “strong color”).

Pilot declares these inks are lightfast and water resistant. But Pilot also warns about their risks (see Fig. 2):

– Not to be used in urushi-decorated pens.
– Not to be used in three Pilot pen models Custom Heritage 92, Custom 823, and Justus 95.
– Not to be used with the old converter CON-70 but only with the newer version CON-70N and with the CON-40.
– Not to be used with non-Pilot pens.

Figure 2. The instructions and warning of Pilot about the use of Tsuwairo inks. It also describes the differences between the old CON-70 and the newer CON-70N.

And their price is 2.5 times higher than those of the regular inks by Pilot—JPY 1000 vs JPY 400, taxes aside; 30 ml.

But if the Pilot Blue-black is also permanent, albeit by different means and possibly not lightfast, are the new Tsuwairo inks worth the extra cost and the extra risks? How permanent are those older inks?


Methodology.

To answer those questions I performed some simple experiments. In essence, three inks were tested against water immersion.

The inks were Pilot Blue, Pilot Tsuwairo Blue, and Pilot Blue-black. The paper was Pilot sample paper, manufactured by Life. (See Fig. 3).

The writing was done with Sailor fude nibs and with Pilot M and calligraphy (CM, stub) nibs made of steel.

The immersion in water was made at two different times: about 5 min after being written and after several hours after that.

Figure 3. The inks and the papers used on the experiments.

Results.

On figure 4 we can see the written sample made with Pilot nibs before (top) and after (bottom) immersion in water. On the left, the sample was exposed to water 6 minutes after being written. That on the right, after 4 hours.

Figure 4. Written samples. Pilot nibs (M and CM). Sample on the left immersed in water 6 minutes after written. Right sample, immersed 4 hours after being written.

And on figure 5, the results of a similar experiment but with Sailor fude nibs. The sample on the left was immersed after 5 minutes of written. The one on the right, 12 hours later.

Figure 5. Written samples. Sailor fude nib. Sample on the left immersed in water 5 minutes after written. The one on the right, immersed 12 hours after being written.

Pilot nibs, on figure 4, carry a lot less ink that those by Sailor (Fig 5).

The results are quite clear and do not change significantly with the variables explored on these experiments—time of the ink on the paper, and amount of ink in the nib and on the paper.

The Tsuwairo ink clearly performs better than the regular inks, and there are not major differences between the behaviors of the regular Blue and Blue-black inks re their resistance to water.

However, the traditional inks are perfectly legible after 15 minutes in water, and they do this at a much lower cost, and without the risks associated to the pigmented inks, as warned by Pilot.


Conclusions.

The Tsuwairo Blue ink is indeed water resistant, but according to the manufacturer it should not be use under certain conditions.

On the other hand, the traditional Blue and Blue-black inks show a remarkable resistance to water without any of those risks and at much lower cost.

Moonman A1 — Montblanc Burgundy Red

Bruno Taut
February 13th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, tinta

Namiki Size 30

Well, Pilot finally did it―they took the newest fountain pen in their catalog –the Custom Urushi― and upgraded it with a maki-e decoration and the Namiki brand. That is, in essence, the new Aya series of Namiki pens.

It is composed of four different pens –named Gale, Daybreak, Limpid Stream, and Evergreen― decorated with the technique togidashi maki-e. The price, in Japan, is JPY 300,000, plus taxes.

The Namiki Aya.
Picture taken from https://www.pilot-namiki.com/en/collection/aya/.

Size-wise, these pens are placed between the Yukari Royale (size 20 nibs) and the Emperor (size 50). However, this togidashi maki-e decoration is a lot less ellaborated than those sported on the previous models (save for the urushi models 20 and 50), and it is signed collectivelly by the Kokkokai without the name of any particular craftsman.

Will this pen become a regular in the Namiki catalog? Only time and sales will tell. It might be worth to remember that the size 15 nib of Pilot´s is not part of the Namiki catalog; and that despite the existance of the urushi-coated model Custom 845. However, there was a very limited edition of size-15 pens with urushi-based decoration commissioned by Mitsukoshi department stores in 2004-05. They were branded as Pilot―Pilot Shun.

The Pilot Shun.

My thanks to Mr. AMB.

Parker 51, music nib – Waterman´s Serenity Blue

Bruno Taut
December 15th 2022
Etiquetas: Pilot, maki-e, mercado

From Sakai to Pilot

In the 1980s Pilot renovated the fountain pen lineup. It all started with the Pilot 65 in 1983—the first modern balance Pilot, save the Art Silvern pens of the 1960s.

Pilot 65, and its insides.

Those new balance pens were modeled after some pre-war models, thus predating some alleged master pieces. In fact, Pilot commissioned lathe master Sakai Eisuke (酒井栄助), of Ban-ei fame, to create some prototypes.

Such is the case of the following unit—a balance Pilot made of ebonite, coated with urushi. Its filling system is a Japanese eyedropper. It was made in 1983 according to the date on the nib.

A Pilot pen by Sakai Eisuke.

The engraving on the body follows the pattern seen on pen in the 1938-1944 time window:

“PILOT” / THE PILOT PEN (P logo) MFG. CO. LTD / MADE IN JAPAN.

Its dimensions are slightly bigger than the later-produced Custom models with size 5 and 10 nibs. One such example of them is the following pen with the maki-e decoration in the form of East Asian phoenix (Hôô, 鳳凰), signed collectively by the Kokkokai, the Pilot guild of maki-e artisans. Its nib is dated October of 1988, and the filling system is a pulsated piston, an early version of what later would become the converter CON-70 (some additional information on my chronicle "Carving").

Pilot Hôô. A maki-e decorated size 10 pen.

	.Sakai´s pen.	.Pilot´s Hôô.
Length closed (mm)	146	142
Length open (mm)	124	127
Length posted (mm)	176	165
Max diameter (mm)	15.0	14.0
Weight, dry (g)	18.6	20.3
Ink deposit (ml)	2.5	1.4

This model set the structure of contemporary maki-e decorated pen we still see today—balance models with nibs 5 and 10 (Pilot numbering).

But at the same time, in those late 1980s, Pilot made a number of urushi-e decorated pens. Masa Sunami, on his book Fountain Pens of Japan (2012), speaks about them as “museum pieces”. These were very limited runs –between 5 and 20 units— of pens decorated with Tsugaru-nuri decoration in sizes 10 and 50. They are indeed rarities worth of some special attention, and of a Chronicle.

Museum pieces. Picture courtesy of Ottomarkiv.

My thanks to Ottomarkiv and to Masa Sunami.

Moonman A1 – Montblanc Burgundy Red

Bruno Taut
December 8th, 2022
labels: Pilot, Ban-ei, maki-e, Sakai Eisuke