It was becoming clear that I would never be able to find the perfect pen case without having one custom made for me. I expected that would cost a fortune, and require a great deal of effort to track down a place that would be willing to make what I wanted at an affordable price. Then one night I was watching a television show about local area craftsmen and one of the featured guests was Kurokawa-san, a leather worker. Several years back he couldn’t find the leather motorcycle gear that he was looking for, so he started making his own. Then he started making gear for his friends and then people started offering money for custom leather goods. He was quickly able to turn his hobby into a thriving small business.
His studio was on the way to my wife’s university, so one day I stopped in. The studio was divided in two; half for a showroom with finished items like belts, wallets, and even I-pod cases under glass, and half was his work studio.
I came in at 4:30 on a Thursday and I was the only one it the shop. I showed him the Platinum Pen case I was using, and showed him what I didn’t like about it and how my 149 wouldn’t fit. He showed me some of the wallets he had already made and he quickly sketched out my dream pen case from my wish list. When I entered the store, I was thinking of a simple black leather case, just like the Platinum case. However, I was in awe of some of the wallets and book covers on display, many of which were done in exotic leathers. I couldn’t decide between the soft alligator chin leather or the sting ray...so I ordered one of each, thinking that I would share one case with my wife. By the time we finished, the showroom was filling up with customers and I felt lucky that I came in when I did. The TV show and recent motorcycle magazine articles that featured Kurokawa’s work , have put him in great demand, and I would have to wait three months for him to get to and finish my order.
Yesterday I finally got the call that the cases were finished and I went to pick them up. I was delighted with the finished cases, and I am finding it hard to offer one of these to my wife.
Case 1
Above is the Stingray Leather case with my gold Cross Townsend that my wife gave me as a present. I didn't like the Cross nib so I set a Pilot flexy Shiro nib into it and it is now one of my favorite writers.
Inside the case
Here is the inside of the case. It holds my three favorite writers. The Montblanc 149 that was also a gift from a friend. The Cross with Pilot Shiro nib, and a Waterman Red Ripple 7 with a Yellow nib. The Waterman Yellow has a special smooth nib for lefties like me. I use this pen for rough paper. Also I had a wallet and card pockets built into the case.
latch
Kurokawa had many ways to latch a case, but I opted for one with a silver Kennedy half-dollar showing the obverse with the American bald eagle. Kurokawa had a lot of coins and other design latches, but I have always liked this coin and I thought it looked good. This picture also shows well the stingray leather grain. This is the leather that was typically used for Japanese samurai swords. It has a wonderful gripping texture and is amazingly durable.
Outside the case
This is the backside of the case. The white patch is the stingray's "crown" I opted for the coarse stitching hat is very popular in Japan now. Sailor offers a pen now that is clad in leather with similar stitching. I could have ordered the case in white threads, but I prefer the more subtle black threads.
The Aligator Case
This case is like the Stingray case but uses the select piece of soft leather found under the aligator's chin. I would have liked the whole case done in this leather, but that would have cost a lot more than I was willing to spend.
Kurokawa-san
Here is Kurokawa-san working on a small motocycle sadlebag.
My two cases together cost about $700. They would have been much cheaper if I had opted for plain cow leather. The Stingray was only moderately expensive while the Alligator was more on the luxry side. However I thought that since I was having a case custom made, I might as well have one that I am perfectly thrilled with, and Kurokawa delivered...twice.
Kurkokawa has a website at www.kurokawa96.com and takes custom order jobs like this one. He has a pleasant, patient personality, but he doesn't speak English at all. Neverthless, if you are interested in a custom case I would be happy to translate for you. If you can sketch out a design and write down the specs, that is all you basically need.
Stay Well
Dr. Ron Dutcher
