Search the Community

Hi FPN, I am trying to learn the history and information on this pen stamped Hosei. It is a Japanese eyedropper with sealing rod. The barrel is stamped: Hosei / Sanshin & Co.,PT / Tokyo. The nib is stamped: Special / Hosei / Ideal / JIS / 4366. The cap band is stamped: R14K. I did not see Hosei under the topic: Pen Manufacturers - Current and Past, so does anyone know anything about this pen? Thanks in advance everyone.

Dear FPN, I am trying to learn more about this pen stamped Koshin. It is a Japanese eyedropper with sealing rod. The barrel is marked: Koshin / Made in Japan. The nib is marked: Warranted / Hardest / Iridium / <1> / Special / Pen. Interestlingly the section on this pen is in two pieces. Any information on this mystery pen would be appreciated. Pen_Padawan

Hi FPN, I am trying to find some history on this pen stamped Bunmeisha. It is a Japanese eyedropper with sealing rod. The barrel is marked Bunmeisha / Tokyo. The barrel is black lacquer. The nib is stamped: Special's / Zion Yiu / Hardest / Iridiumpen / -3-. I did not see Bunmeisha under the topic: Pen Manufacturers Current and Past, so does anyone know anything about this pen? Thanks in advance for the education. Pen_Padawan

http://i.imgur.com/L1KmlxA.jpg The Danitrio Mikado is the only repeat in my collection. And it's for a good reason. The pen is just an amazing writer and it's ebonite construction makes it incredibly well-balanced. I own one Ao (blue) Roiro-Migaki and one Shu (red) Roiro-Migaki Mikados in the flat-top version, clipless. They also available in the round-top version. Both flat- and round-top version are available with and without clips. http://i.imgur.com/JSkqnd0.jpg The signature is of Koichiro Okazaki, also known as Kogaku. He is a master Maki-e artist commissioned by Danitrio to do both urushi pens as well as Maki-e pens. I love that Danitrio's urushi pens are signed by the artist. It really makes a point of the man who put so much skill and work into making these pens a reality. The signature also just looks pretty cool =] http://i.imgur.com/k6ARh3S.jpg Interestingly, the Bock #8 nib, which most of the bigger Danitrio pens use, has changed slightly over time. The blue one has the older version, while the red one has the newer version. http://i.imgur.com/U5ep2cd.jpg From top: Danitrio Mikado in blue urushi, Danitrio Mikado in red urushi, Danitrio Densho in blue urushi, Danitrio Sho-Genkai in raw ebonite, and a Lamy Safari in charcoal. The Densho is an older pen that I got in a trade and the blue urushi is little lighter. The Densho is also an eyedropper but it has a #6-size nib. It's very light and comfortable and the clip makes it more convenient to carry but I much prefer the looks and writing experience of the Mikado. With it's large ink capacity and clip, it would make a great daily carry. http://i.imgur.com/yhABwkY.jpg The Mikado pens are Japanese eyedroppers, which is an eyedropper with a shut-off valve. You fill the pen with an eyedropper or syringe and when you want to write you unscrew the knob at the end and it opens up the valve. Here you can see the seal that meets with the inside of the section, cutting off ink-flow when the shut-off valve knob is screwed down. http://i.imgur.com/US5q6im.jpg The Mikado is a big pen! But it's very light for it's size and the large grip section is very comfortable for long writing periods. Underneath the Mikado is a Nakaya Piccolo. Nakaya pens are more normal-sized in width but for people who prefer oversized pens, I think Dantrio pens would generally be more comfortable. I'm not really qualified to determine the difference in urushi quality, but to my eyes both Danitrio and Nakaka look fantastic. Danitrio's urushi is done by master Maki-e artists though, which is why they have that nifty signature, that I love so much. http://i.imgur.com/oQtbCOo.jpg Even though the Mikado is really big capped, uncapped it's a very reasonable length. The nib is huge and proportional to it's size. http://i.imgur.com/rODHMY5.jpg http://i.imgur.com/sDqiNn0.jpg Danitrio Sho-Genkai with the old-style Bock #8 nib and Mikado with new-style Bock nib. http://i.imgur.com/i32l0to.jpg A trio of Danitrio eyedroppers. http://i.imgur.com/VhpKpZF.jpg A trio of Dantrio #8-size nibs. http://i.imgur.com/RYYol92.jpg http://i.imgur.com/KWdbwsc.jpg The red urushi is so bright and absolutely flawless. Kogaku, the Maki-e artist, who did the lacquer work on both my Mikado pens, did a fantastic job. http://i.imgur.com/ya2MuQk.jpg http://i.imgur.com/GbE1XuW.jpg Writing sample http://i.imgur.com/2ZUQ3Ik.jpg The fine nib has some slight feedback but is very smooth and a fantastic writer. The medium is just a bit bigger in writing width than the fine and has less feedback. The broad nib is ridiculously smooth and ridiculously wet, and much wider than the medium. It's a fun nib and would make a great starting point to a custom grind. http://i.imgur.com/uue0bLm.jpg From top: Blue Mikado, Red Mikado, Lamy Safari, Raw Ebonite Sho-Genkai, and Blue Densho. My next pen is either going to be a Namiki Emperor or a third Danitrio Mikado in a more exotic finish like Nashiji-nuri or one of the Hanazono collection colors. For my hand, it's just the perfect oversized pen.