My New Ohasido

[mchenart]

One doesn’t really need a reason to buy an Ohasido. When the itch comes, one just needs to act. That was what happened six months ago when I wrote my friend in Sendai, the home city of Ohasido, and kindly asked him to purchase a pen for me. At that time, the Ohasido shop did not have anything I liked (or could afford), but he was told to come back in a few months' time when the shipment of new stock would arrive. Well, when the new cap and barrel parts came in from the urushi artisans a few months later, I noticed a tray with two wine colour urushi pens that I had not seen before; I knew right away that was the one I must get.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF7132_zpsz4yuts2c.jpg

 

This is a larger pen that takes a large size 14k gold nib. I have no idea what this model is called, but it is one of the signature styles that graces many Ohasido pens that I have seen. The shape is quite unique in a fountain pen because while the cap has a slightly rounded flat top, the tail tapers off sharply into a pointed cone. It measures 14.3 cm capped, with a barrel diameter of 15 mm at the widest point. It weighs in at 26.3g which is a bit heavier than most Japanese pens, but would not be considered heavy at all. In fact, it balances beautifully in the hand and has the perfect weight for me. I cannot be happier.

 

It really is the colour of the pen that grabs one's attention at first glance. While Ohasido calls it Wine, I find it more like Grape Juice or Deep Purple (not the English rock group of the 1960’s). Ohasido has produced monochromatic urushi pens in black, green, orange, dark blue before, but I believe this is the first time they have used this purple colour. The urushi has been applied in a uniform fashion free from any bumps, bubbles or imperfections, and polished to a mirror shine; it is simply a superb finishing job on par with the best Namiki/Pilot. The section is also urushi-ed, but in black, as in almost all Ohasido pens. Deciding on which ink to feed this beauty is an easy task, since I don’t think there is a better match to this pen than Iroshizuku’s Yamabudo (Mountain Grape). In colour and in hidden meaning, it is, again, perfect.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF7142_zpsmsc05ksh.jpg

 

The shape of the pen (with the pointed tail) encourages posting. The total length of the pen from the nib to tail after posting is a comfortable 16 cm. In general I don’t post my pens, but it is comforting to know that should I change my mind, the possibility is always there. For those who are familiar with Ohasido pens, this pen might look odd without the ubiquitous gold cap ring. Well, a gold ring would normally be added to the cap if one does not indicate otherwise, but I thought the clean unobstructed line given by the absence of the gold ring would be a big plus, so I requested them to keep it this way. Oh, one thing about the nib. I had asked Ohasido to install a Sailor-made B nib on the pen, but instead I got a Zoom nib which is one of the specialty nibs made by Sailor. It turns out to be a super smooth writer, and I am not complaining.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF7130_zpswlzzpemd.jpg

 

Now I have in my arsenal three Ohasido pens of the same body shape, so it is time to do a bit of comparison. True to the spirit of workshop pens, all three examples have small differences (and virtues) that keep them apart from each other and shout ‘I am handmade’. As can be seen from the group photo, each pen has a slightly different section shape and overall length: the dark blue one is the longest at 15.6 cm capped while the Wine has the longest cap. Notwithstanding their differences in colour and urushi treatment, the pens are adorned, respectively, by a thin gold cap band, cap band with a wide 18k barrel band, and no band at all. All one needs to do is specify at the time of ordering. I am also happy to get a different width nib on each pen- MF, M and Zoom.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF7116_zpsnb4w606h.jpg

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/DSCF7123_zpsijpjbypa.jpg

 

No, I am not going to name the pens as if they were pets, but they can be counted as among my best writers, and as such, they will be very well cared for and treated with respect.

[hooper]

Congratulations, what a stunning pen!

[daintydimsum]

Beautiful pen. That teal is especially gorgeous -- I understand the guy who did the urushi work no longer does it though

 

And definitely intrigued by the possibility of a zoom nib.

[watch_art]

Wow very cool.

[Dhruv_Sood]

Nice pens. I really like the color on your new Ohashido, and the pattern on the red one.

 

If you don't mind, could you share how much did each of them cost you? It's almost impossible to find anything on the Internet since they don't sell the pens online.

[mchenart]

Thank you all for your warm feedback.

 

Daintydimsum, You have some very nice Ohasido as well. The long 'teal' pen is special, but I have no idea the urushi craftsman has stopped making this kind of finish.

 

Nice pens. I really like the color on your new Ohashido, and the pattern on the red one.

 

If you don't mind, could you share how much did each of them cost you? It's almost impossible to find anything on the Internet since they don't sell the pens online.

The two shorter pens are both listed at 65,000 yen plus tax, but since I got the red Tsugaru-nuri four years ago when the Japanese yen was very strong, I had to pay quite a lot for that. The long pen I got used at a good price, but I imagine a new one like that would be much more expensive, plus the 21k nib is no longer an option.

Edited July 28, 2015 by mchenart

[daintydimsum]

Thank you all for your warm feedback.

 

Daintydimsum, You have some very nice Ohasido as well. The long 'teal' pen is special, but I have no idea the urushi craftsman has stopped making this kind of finish.

 

 

Yes, I had someone make an enquiry and was quite disappointed to learn of it! But there is always yours to admire

[rpsyed]

Wow! All of those are gorgeous.

[JLS1]

Wow! All of those are gorgeous.

 

Agreed - thanks for sharing the story and the pictures. I really like the wine-purpley color of this pen...

[da vinci]

Wonderful pens

[Dhruv_Sood]

The two shorter pens are both listed at 65,000 yen plus tax, but since I got the red Tsugaru-nuri four years ago when the Japanese yen was very strong, I had to pay quite a lot for that. The long pen I got used at a good price, but I imagine a new one like that would be much more expensive, plus the 21k nib is no longer an option.

Thank you. Ohashido isn't as expensive as I was making it out to be.

[Algester]

500-600 USD is the main budget as I what I initially believed getting them is another scenario

[mchenart]

The list price of an Ohasido does not tell the whole story, and just as Algester mentioned above that getting one is another story. It is very difficult to purchase one from outside Japan, unless one has a friend who lives in Sendai or Tokyo (where Ohasido regularly attends pen festivals at department stores). And even then, it is a major undertaking to ask someone in Japan to source an Ohasido pen for you. The red Tsugaru-nuri I got involved countless emails and exchange of photos between us, and also numerous times when he had to go to the shop and local department store to find out the selection of pens that were available. At the end I paid about US$1,000 for it including my commission to him, shipping and PayPal cost. I feel grateful that he was even willing to do this for me out of friendship (and twice), but I won't ask him to do it again. It is just too much work. Next time, I will go to Mitsikoshi's Pen Festival that is held in March every year to find my Ohasido pen.

[Dhruv_Sood]

Wow, you paid almost ¥55,000 on interacting from outside Japan. Could have gotten another pen in that much. But Ohashido is certainly more than that, that I understand.

 

If I would have asked my friend to do this and offered to pay commission, he would have asked me to order it every 3 months.

 

Can you tell me whether you need to collect it in person as well when it is complete or being present at the time of ordering is enough and the pen can be shipped by the maker to other country?

[mchenart]

Dhruv_Sood, I think you got your math slightly off. You see, the exchange rate four years ago was 85 Japanese Yen to the dollar, so the cost of the pen, including local tax, ran to about US$800. The rest, as I mentioned earlier, was taken up by international shipping, PayPal cost and my commission to him. Today, the exchange rate is 124 Yen to the dollar, so there is a great difference in how much a person needs to pay across the time line.

 

Ohasido does not ship overseas. So the contact needs to be made in person when making the selection, paying for the purchase and picking up the pen when it is ready.