Hakase Visit And Order

[mchenart]

There has been much discussion of Hakase pens on this network. In addition, some of the heavy weight Hakase users/collectors live in Taiwan where I also reside, and seeing their stunning collections of Hakase in various materials did not help at all when it comes to restraining myself of the desire to own one. So I made the inevitable journey to Tottori last month to see for myself what makes the myth of Hakase pens so enduring. It was a pilgrimage of sort, but I also wanted to place an order or two with Mr. Ryo Yamamoto, the owner/craftsman, in his own shop rather than through the cold internet. These would be my first Hakase pens. FPN members daoud62, rhk and Samovar have all contributed excellent threads on their trips to the Hakase shop, and I will try not to repeat too much of what they have already covered.

 

Most Taiwanese collectors prefer to meet Mr. Yamamoto in Tokyo where he would meet prospective buyers every September, to take orders and deliver finished items that have been ordered previously. Although Taiwan is quite close to Japan, but even the remote location of Tottori seems too inconvenient for them. So to make my trip worthwhile, I managed to combine the visit to Hakase with a tour of sights in Tottori and surrounding countryside, plus a trip to the castle town of Matsue. This is an area I had never visited before, so everything worked out fine at the end.

 

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As Mr. Yamamoto goes to Tokyo about four times a year, it is important that one makes an appointment with him before hand. He greeted me in a smart suit at the door and introduced me to his attending brother and sister-in-law. We then began to chat about the pen scene in Taiwan and Hakase pens in general. While his English is not perfect, I got the idea that he understood me if I spoke slowly, so no translator was needed. Not long after, we sat down to talk about the Hakase pens I would like to own and use. There was a tray of ebonite, celluloid and wood rods plus tortoise and buffalo horn tubes- materials that could be worked into pen barrels, and some of them were polished to show their finished appearances. There was also a large tray of finished pens to give one an idea of the shapes, sizes and adornments that were available. There really is no ‘standard’ size Hakase pen with ‘standard’ material or furniture. Everything is fine tuned to the specific needs of the individual user; such is the nature of a true bespoke pen maker, and a Hakase tradition that has been handed down in the past 80 years.

 

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The most precious materials for a Hakase pens would be the Tortoise shell and the buffalo horn. They started selling these pens from 1987 (horn) and 1990 (tortoise). I noticed that the tortoise shell material is treated so that it wraps around a white porcelain tube without any trace of a seam.

 

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Wood has become an often requested material for a Hakase. These include cocobolo, rosewood, rosewood burl and African ebony. The following are rosewood and cocobolo pens, I believe.

 

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The rosewood burl is light and porous, and needs to be coated with a layer of clear urushi. Thus the longer production time that is required.

 

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Hakase has almost depleted their entire stock of blue celluloid, so the green celluloid is their main staple plastic now. This green celluloid has an uncanny resemblance to jade, and is quite popular with Asian pen lovers.

 

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This being their 80^th anniversary year, Hakase is making available a large size 80^th anniversary bi-colour nib, made by Pilot to their specifications. This size 15 nib can be ordered with the pens at a slightly higher premium. I believe only a small quantity of these were produced.

 

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Unusual ceramic ink wells that were available at the shop.

 

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While I tested the various pens in his shop, Mr. Yamamoto was spying on my writing habit and jotted down the observations on the order sheets. It was great that I could discuss with him face to face the nitty gritties of my future pens, i.e. the barrel lengths and diameter of the section. Yes, I wished I could order more pens, but two Hakases would be my absolute limit. One was to be an all buffalo horn pen with sterling silver furniture, and the other a buffalo horn/wood grain ebonite with 14k solid gold clip (long). I was told that the pens would be completed in August 2015, so I am counting down the days and starting the long excruciating wait.

 

The good thing about staying in Tottori for more than a day was that not only did I visit Hakase and the charming surrounding countryside, I could go back to the shop to watch Mr. Yamamoto the artisan working on his pens. During this occasion, he changed into his dark blue Japanese work attire, switching to a completely different role than two days previously. There in the back of the shop, I saw three machines for turning and one for buffing, but the main one he uses was the electric/manual one that was stationed on a wood bench. He would switch to foot paddling when a slower speed was needed for fine tuning and maneuvering. That day, Mr. Yamamoto was working on attaching the ‘nipple’ ring on barrels, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that two sections of the material were needed to fashion around the nipple. It was really a privilege to watch one of the foremost pen artisans in the world putting together fountains pens that will be treasured by users all over the world.

 

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I was given the options of collecting the finished Hakase pens in Tokyo next September or have the pens sent to me in the mail. Of course, if they were ready a month or two before September, I don’t think I can wait a single day more for the pens. But then, it would be great to meet Mr. Yamamoto again, and perhaps to place another order….

 

[da vinci]

An excellent post, thank for sharing this experience.

 

 

That green celluloid does look rather special...

[shuuemura]

Wow! Excellent photography, and great write-up! Thanks for the photo essay - it gives me great pleasure to read it while using my recently received Hakase.

[The Pantaloon Duck]

Wonderful! Thank you!

[daintydimsum]

Thank you for this account! The wait for my Hakase (January) is that much more torturous. I've been enjoying my ebony Hakase and toying with the notion/temptation of ordering the rosewood burl pen in that last photo. It's more tempting to visit him at the shop though...

 

Did you get any of his sepia ink?

[mchenart]

Thank you everybody for your kind words.

 

shuuemura, you are part of the reasons why I was won over to Hakase pens in the first place, thanks to your nice recent review of the Cocobolo flattop on this network.

 

daintydimsum, the rosewood burl would be slightly lighter than your ebony Hakase, but it was also a model I was considering. The urushi-ed rosewood looked very deep and luxurious in the flesh. No, I did not buy the sepia ink. I saw it at Kingdom Note in Tokyo last year. It has a very heavy smell, and if you don't mind it, it is definitely a great permanent ink with a lot of character.

[visvamitra]

Stunning, thank you for this photo guide. For me, Hakase is out of reach at the moment, but one day...

[mongrelnomad]

Thanks for a great account of a pilgrimage many of us aspire towards but few ever achieve. Twice I've planned a visit and twice my schedule forbade it. You will not be disappointed when your pens do finally arrive.

[daintydimsum]

Yes, there's a depth in the rosewood burl that's very appealing. Yamamoto-san seems to have some new pictures of those anniversary models (or I just never looked at them closely...) and the rosewood burl looks extremely appealing. I currently have a rosewood/tortoiseshell on order, so I'm hoping to get something different next! I have to say the buffalo horn with silver finishes ('nipple' ring and teardrop stopper) is also fighting for my attention. These pens are just amazing. Thank you again for sharing your visit with us; it makes the distant online ordering process that much more real.

[Nikolaos]

Dear Michael,

 

You've managed to "transport" us all to Tottori wtih your wonderful photography and write-up. Thank you so much and I can't wait to see your new pens in the flesh next fall!

[Sakura FP Gallery]

Thank you for this wonderful journey to Hakase !

[mchenart]

daintydimsum, the black buffalo horn with sterling 'nipple' ring and tear drop clip was exactly the model I ordered. I thought the sterling silver trims look quite appropriate on that pen.

 

 

Nikolaos, the trip to Tottori was really memorable for me in every way. I met Mr. Yamamoto the master artisan in his own shop and ordered pens of my dream, so what else could I hope for? You remember attending the Taipei pen meet early October and seeing tens of Hakase pens on one whole table, well this is the kind of seductive (and competitive)environment I live in! No, really, the quality of a Hakase pen shone through in all those beautiful specimens, and it is very easy to get hooked. You know I resisted getting a Hakase pen for a long time, thinking they are too pricy for me. Now I realise that I should just get a few pens I would treasure and use.

[mongrelnomad]

Now I realise that I should just get a few pens I would treasure and use.

 

Wise words, and words I've come to believe in...

[Barry Gabay]

Wonderful, mchenart! Thank you sharing your narrative and photos and for educating us all. Many thanks. Best wishes, Barry

[stacybean]

Thank you for the vicarious visit and wonderful post.

[mchenart]

Hi mongrelnomad, your topics have always been inspirational and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the review of your Hakase buffalo horn pen on these pages.

 

Thank you Barry Gabay and stacybean for your comments. It's great to know that you find this thread educational. I am only trying to share my joy of this rare visit that not too many of us could make.

[Namo]

Great post! This in indeed an other world! I really like the shape of the pen in the background of the sixth pictures. Almost looks like a desk pen?

Do you know if Hakase are working with other nibs than Pilot's?

[mchenart]

Namo, the long pen that is reproduced on the cover of their brochure is indeed a desk model. You will see a couple of desk pens in the back of the fourth picture too.

 

As for nibs other than Pilot's, I am not sure if Mr. Yamamoto would agree to fit one on their pen. However, if you have a particular reason for swapping nibs, perhaps you can write him directly to see how he feels on that.

[mongrelnomad]

Great post! This in indeed an other world! I really like the shape of the pen in the background of the sixth pictures. Almost looks like a desk pen?

 

 

This one?

 

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Edited November 7, 2014 by mongrelnomad

[daoud62]

You caused me to relive my own awe-inspiring visit to Tottori in March 2013. Ryo-san is an impeccable host, and a dedicated artisan. I, like you, enjoyed watching him work, and enjoyed getting to know the tiny little corner of one little street in Tottori where these treasures are produced one at a time.

 

Your photographs make me envious of your talents.

 

I, too, am waiting to see your pens once you receive them. Trust me, and I speak from experience, as you know: the wait is excruciating.