My interest in collecting Japanese pens began about 2000. I was hooked on collecting pens and wanted to get my wife interested in my new hobby. She is from Japan so, I thought, what could be better.
At the right of this blog is her family mon – Japanese family crest, that is unique to her family. She can trace her family lineage back to before the Genpei War when they lived in Kyoto.
From the Wikipedia, The Genpei War (1180-1185) was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto (Tales of Genji story) clans during the late Heian Period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira.
Her family was on the losing side and escaped to friendly territory in the Tosa domain on the island of Shikoku. They landed in a mountainous area near a place called Sakawa in the western part of Kochi Prefecture and over the centuries were noted as accomplished doctors.
They were moderately well-to-do samurai. Visiting her family ancestral home all that remained was the foundation but, I could see it was big – approximately forty feet deep by ninety feet wide and the area under their control stretched across several valleys. With the conclusion of the war, sickness in the family and land reform bankrupted them. Some of their family heritage now resides in the Kochi Castle Museum of History.
Some consider me an expert on Japanese pens. Having bought and sold quite many pens over twenty years I acquired an appreciation and understanding of the development of fountain pens in Japan. One has introductions to many makers, the good, the bad, and pretty ugly. There are uncanny parallels to pen development in America as both reflect human nature.
Images of my collection will be posted periodically. There is a link today to a copy of an article written for the Winter 2006 issue of PENNANT, published by the Pen Collectors of America. It includes images of a few great pens.
Who do I consider the premium smaller makers.
· Silver. Hate to use a generic term. Silver overlay pens were mostly made in the 1920s and early 1930s and sold by jewelers. Many have hand-carved decoration, are signed by the artist, and are unique. Highly desireable.
·
Yotubisi (sometimes Yotsubishi). All
Yotubishi have a four star logo on either the cap band or clip. The quality of
their makie meets or exceeds almost everything done by Pilot or other maker
during the 1950s. After the war there were limited opportunities for highly-skilled specialized
artisans. Yotubisi retained them for these wonderful pens. Even the plain
ebonite models are of higher than average quality.
·
Marukin. They made mostly veined hard
rubber pens in the 1930s. Exceptional quality. Very good nibs. Occasionally their nibs can be
found recycled on upgrade pens from the 1930s and 1950s.
·
North Star. Another maker of veined hard
rubber pens. Great quality.
·
Popura. Ignore their postwar models. Mostly
cheap plastic. Go for prewar. Good quality. Some carved ebonite.
·
Carved pens. They were the heart of my
collection and are difficult to locate. Prices have escalated almost beyond
reason. My understanding is that they began as souvenir pens from shops that
lined access roads to temples and later at nearby train stations and were inexpensive.
One finds models from the 1920s through the mid-1950s. They all tell a story
and are a treasure.