As computers become more and more prevalent, writing has come to mean typing on a keyboard. But there is a man, known as the God of Fountain Pens by pen aficionados, who still continues to handcraft pens nibs even now. PingMag MAKE went to meet him, to find out about a lifetime pursuing the perfect writing instrument.
Interviewed by Takafumi Suzuki
Could you describe briefly exactly what your work is?
Nowadays my work is repairing pen nibs. Repair orders come in from shops all over the country. I’m the one who makes them. Normal fountain pens have a long sword-shaped nib. You have to sharpen them. Also I’m working on a series of bamboo fountain pens. I keep working on them, even though I’m actually retired now, but before I retired I also used to develop all sorts of other products.
A fountain pen is a fairly expensive thing, but just what exactly goes into making a pen nib?
In general making a fountain pen nib goes something like this. First you need to melt the metal and compress and stretch it until it’s a uniform thickness. Then you apply the ball for the nib tip, and polish it. Next you must split the nib with a saw cut. The cut is what determines the nibs flexibility. Then finally the nib is checked for quality, and finished by being fine-polished and cleaned.
The crosspoint nib
The naginata emperor nib
And how did you first enter the world of fountain pens?
Actually my uncle used to work here (at The Sailor Pen). That’s how I came to join the company. But in fact about 25 people joined from my junior high school. For the first 3 years, all I did was the rough shaping and rough cutting to prepare the balls that make the pen tip. I had to polish the nibs very carefully to make them symmetrical. Then one of my seniors said he’d like me to do the rough cutting. So, every day, day in day out, that’s what I did. It was really tough, and I was always complaining to my mother that I wanted to quit, but in the end that’s how I learnt the basics of the trade. So I’m grateful
for it now.
I guess having that base helped you to reach such a high level of expertise.
As far as technique goes, foreigners are always really amazed. In American cities like Chicago, New York, or L.A. they hold these pen shows. Around 230 companies gather together and put on a kind of display for fountain pens. One time the boss of the magazine Pen World came over to me with a fountain pen he’d been using for about 8 years, and said “The nib’s bent.” So I just straightened it for him, right there in front of him. Over there, you take it in for repairs and it will take a week or even ten days or so before you get it back. “It writes beautifully. And you did it right there, in front of my very eyes! I’ve never seen that before.” He was flabbergasted.
A lot of people draw with fountain pens.
A huge model pen nib helps explain.
So when you adjust a nib, you can make it write that much more comfortably.
Yes, of course. One time an artist came to see me. All his drawings ended up looking the same, he said, and he asked me if I could make him a fountain pen that was easier to draw with. So I asked him to show me some of his drawings. “Your drawings don’t have any fullness to them - all the lines are the same, they’re boring.” Well, I just said what I thought. So he says “Then please see what you can do to adjust my pen.” So I took his drawings home and studied how each line flowed, every single one. His drawing style used lots and lots of lines. So, to make it easier for him to draw so many lines, I made him a nib in a V shape. And he was so surprised. “What!?” he said “With a pen like this I’ll be able to draw beautiful big, full-bodied nudes…” And off he went home with a big old grin on his face. I guess when you get two dirty minds together, nothing of much worth is ever going to come out of it (Laughs). But seriously, seeing just how close you can come to the customer’s dream - that’s what makes work so interesting.
You are known as the God of Fountain Pens, and have developed lots of original nibs and hit products, right?
Yes, that’s right. For instance, the nib of the Crosspoint pen has one more nib attached right at the end, compared to other pens, with the gutter cut in a cross shape to hold the ink. So it feels like a hair brush to use, and you can even write smoothly on paper that really absorbs ink, like Japanese washi. I like brush writing, so I thought it should be possible to develop a pen that writes like a brush. But even the Crosspoint has evolved over the last 10 years. That’s a proof of my own growth, so that’s what makes it interesting. And then there’s the Long Sword Emperor, an improvement on the Crosspoint, which came from something a customer said to me. “When I write fast, the ink runs dry and the letters won’t form properly. Isn’t there anything you can do?” That’s what the customer wanted. New, flexible ideas often come from listening to customers’ wishes, or complaints.
It’s wonderful to have worked on something for over 50 years, and to still find it interesting and stimulating.
The thing that’s so interesting about this job is, the things you dream up in your head become real. If I do this, it’ll be like that… if I try that, I’ll get this, that kind of thing. The thing about fountain pens is, every single one of them takes on the character of the person who uses it. There are a lot of repair people who say “You’re writing with it wrong.” I don’t ever say that. Even if the owner can write with it beautifully, the next person might not be able to write with the same pen at all - that’s just the way it is. So you shouldn’t even lend your pen to your own wife. If it’s pushed on and written with in the wrong way, it’ll be ruined. Some people come to me with a fine nib and say something impossible like “Make it fatter.” But even then I’ll do everything I can to find a way. Then when I manage, they say “Mr. Nagahara, you’re amazing.” But the thing is, if
you go to another repair shop they’ll tell you the pen is too old, or something.
You must need a lot of patience to deal with each customer with such care.
The thing that makes me most happy doing this work is being able to help people with their worries and unhappiness, thanks to fountain pens. Nearly all of my repair jobs come to me with a letter attached. I once made a pen nib for a junior high school girl. She was a quiet, unhappy girl. But when I made her a new nib, I suppose she must have practiced writing really hard. She won a calligraphy award. And thanks to that she brightened right up. Or, I get a lot of repair jobs from people who have a pen that belonged to their father. Those times, I tell them just what I think. “Your father must have been a great father. In those days it was no joke to get hold of a pen as good as this one. This is your father’s medal as a man.” Even a simple fountain pen can be seeped in deep family relationships, you see.
Your life experience and your work together….
Well, I’ve been doing this for over 50 years now. I quit the company, but I can’t quit the job. I think I’d probably fall down sick if I gave this up (laughs). Even at the weekends I find myself at it. It just suits me, coming up with new, original ways to repair and fix each pen. There was one time, though, that I thought, I like cameras, maybe I’ll quit this job and set up a camera shop (laughs). But just at that point fully automatic cameras started coming on the market, so I gave up the idea. There’s nothing interesting in work that doesn’t need fine craftsmanship.
The Sailor Pen, Tenno Factory
2-1-63 Tenno Saijo, Kure City, Hiroshima
Nobuyoshi Nagahara.
Born in Kure City, Hiroshima, 1932. Fountain pen craftsman.
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PingMag MAKE is the sister site to PingMag. We use an interview format to put the spotlight on a wide range of people active in rural areas. We document the voices of these unknown heroes and broadcast them to the world. It’s the Japan-based magazine about people and making things, coming out once a week. We’re passing on the passion, ideas, skills, and life stories of people who are building today and exploring tomorrow: craftsmen, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. Stay tuned!
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I always wanted to buy one of his pens for drawing. It is great I can read this interview and see some ‘backstage pics’!
Posted by: otakugirl on January 16th, 2008 at 4:22 am
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Posted by: Who Needs Friends… » The God Of Fountain Pens on January 17th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Great Subject. You should also go and see Ohashi do pens in Sendai. Their craftsman ( singular ) has been turning pens in Ebonite on a treddle lathe for ever and each one is an original. I have two and love them to death. The maker tours the department stores of Tokyo once a year or so when he is well enough and all the customers who bought his pens are sent a postcard telling them when to bring thier pens in for a free service. Hs children all come home for a check - up. Charming.
Posted by: pb61 on January 17th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Wonderful interview w/ a true artist, thanks!!!
Posted by: Chris Meisenzahl on January 27th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I was fortunate to have Mr. Nagahara adjust a Sailor Magellan pen that I own for me at a New York City Pen show. I already like the pen, but he watched me write and then adjusted it so it now feels amazingly smooth and natural when I write with it.
Thanks for this article.
Posted by: John Eckstein on January 27th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Thank you for this interview. I had no idea what went in to these pens. It was quite fascinating!
Posted by: Lydia on January 29th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
An informative, lovely read. Thank you for letting us see the man behind the innovative nibs.
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Posted by: Meisai - Blog Archive - Nobuyoshi Nagahara, God of Fountain Pens on February 11th, 2008 at 10:58 am
My mother always used fountain pens,dipping them into a small well inside the glass ink bottle.
The hand crafted pens made by Mr Nagahara are so beautiful and inspire me to use fine writing paper,ink and pen to correspond with rather than so many emails and telephone conversations!
Thank you so much for fascinating article about such a fine craftsman.
Emma Howard, Hawaii
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Posted by: nerdd.net | news and opinion on February 25th, 2008 at 12:45 am
I saw a story on the most expensive fountain pens too; upwards of $500K - $3 million!
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Posted by: JimmyL on February 25th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Nice website
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Posted by: Kelvin’s Blog (of interest) » Interview with the "God of fountain pens" on March 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
This was a wonderful look at an extraordinary person. So different from anyone I know. Thanks for the article.
Posted by: Sharon on March 25th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Respect to Mr. Nagahara and to Sailor factory
Posted by: bandi on March 27th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Very good; thank you for posting. Any information on whether the bamboo pens are available for sale anywhere?
Posted by: Andrew on April 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 am
Just serfed in. Great site, guys!
Posted by: Willem on August 1st, 2008 at 8:39 pm
What a lesson on living a life. Thank you for sharing it with the world! I will now think of my Sailor pens in a totally different way.
Posted by: Rick Hein on January 25th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I will be at the Washington DC Pen Show this year and I hope that Nagahara-san is there too.
Posted by: Jared on February 4th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Fantastic article on a fantastic individual!
Posted by: Thomas on May 10th, 2009 at 2:46 am
Wow.
Thank you.
Posted by: Tom Hall on May 16th, 2009 at 9:51 am