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0 | Kyuwan Choi was born on April 22, 1904 in New York. His hobby is to use a fountain pen, and he uses a
Pilot Custom 743 fountain pen. His nick name is crucian carp. One of the big attractions at the Mitsukoshi
Spring Pen Fair was the presence of Mr. Eiichi Uehara, master pen craftsman from the Company Ohashi-
Do. Mr. Uehara was born in 1919 in Tokyo (he is now 83 years old). He moved to Sendai city in 1928 with
family. His Father was a fountain pen craftsman and | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
1 | in Tokyo (he is now 83 years old). He moved to Sendai city in 1928 with
family. His Father was a fountain pen craftsman and opened a fountain pen shop in Sendai. He started
making fountain pens at age 13, following his father's example. I am told he is the only person--or one of
a very few persons--in Japan who makes the entire pen, both gold nib and ebonite barrel, all by himself.
His working studio is still located in Sendai. Now three pupils work with him to learn pen manufacturing.
He also goes to several | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
2 | himself.
His working studio is still located in Sendai. Now three pupils work with him to learn pen manufacturing.
He also goes to several cities to have demonstration/sale sessions at different department stores. So there
are many fans of his hand-made pens throughout the country. Each customer receives an invitation letter
from him at least once every year for free adjustment/service of pens they bought from him.
About ten years ago, a very old pen was sent to him for repair. The client mentioned it was a father's
favorite pen. The nib imprint read "Ohashi-do | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
3 | very old pen was sent to him for repair. The client mentioned it was a father's
favorite pen. The nib imprint read "Ohashi-do". It was revealed that the pen was made by Mr. Uehara's
father at the end of Meiji era (probably in the 1910s). Ebonite (Hard Rubber) is still used for his pens as it
was done at his father's shop in the pre-war era. It is a very hard material made of mixture of raw rubber,
sulfur and carbon. The entire manufacturing process of his pens is by hand, | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
4 | It is a very hard material made of mixture of raw rubber,
sulfur and carbon. The entire manufacturing process of his pens is by hand, as a result, only two or three
pens can be made per day. Not many pens are made of ebonite these days, and the pens of Ohashi-Do
are further distinguished in that they are coated with traditional Japanese "urushi" lacquer. Some have
transparent coats, allowing the black hard rubber to shine through, and others are coated with colored
urushi, and covered with original designs in the maki- | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
5 | coats, allowing the black hard rubber to shine through, and others are coated with colored
urushi, and covered with original designs in the maki-e tradition. Each pen is unique--no two pens are
even the same exact size! Some of the pens with modern designs and colors are coated with what Mr.
Uehara called non-genuine urushi. While the genuine urushi comes from trees naturally grown on the
ground, the non-genuine version comes from trees grown by human hands in order to get urushi for the
art and craft purpose. A woman at his | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
6 | the non-genuine version comes from trees grown by human hands in order to get urushi for the
art and craft purpose. A woman at his table mentioned the latter type of urushi as "cultivated urushi". I
believe it's natural urushi, but the trees which produced it are grown artificially, perhaps with fertilizers
and pesticides added to facilitate the growth. The woman showed us their high-end urushi pens in a color
very similar the old Parker "Big-red." She said that the urushi applied on these pens comes from naturally
grown urushi trees around | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
7 |
very similar the old Parker "Big-red." She said that the urushi applied on these pens comes from naturally
grown urushi trees around 600 years old. I forgot the exact cost of these pens, but they were very
expensive. On the other hand, the pen in brownish urushi with a natural ivory top, which I like, was said
to be a non-genuine urushi pen. Still, I think it cost around 140,000 yen. If it had a 100% chemical based
lacquer coating, it would not be so expensive.
Mr. | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
8 | around 140,000 yen. If it had a 100% chemical based
lacquer coating, it would not be so expensive.
Mr. Uehara holds a patent for his sliding gold ring on the pen barrel that allows you to shift the weight
balance to suit your hand and the way you hold the pen. The man himself is a cultural treasure, having
received a medal from the Emperor of Japan. When we visited his booth, the man turned out to be a very
lively and jovial fellow, joking and laughing heartily at anything even remotely humorous. He explained
| C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
9 | man turned out to be a very
lively and jovial fellow, joking and laughing heartily at anything even remotely humorous. He explained
how he made his pens, and let us examine a rod of ebonite roughly the diameter of a large pen, and about
half a meter long. he also brought out an olive colored old ebonite rod to show us how badly they can
discolor if not properly taken care of. I pulled out from my bag an old black chased hard rubber pen that I
had bought for very cheap, and which was also a bit discolored. | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
10 | pulled out from my bag an old black chased hard rubber pen that I
had bought for very cheap, and which was also a bit discolored. Mr. Uehara was thrilled to see such an
old pen, so I decided to give it to him as a present. It was an honor for me that he accepted it, and in
return, his assistant Mr. Kimura who at 30 years of age is also a pen master in his own right, put a rod of
black chased ebonite on the lathe, and fashioned within a few minutes a sort of tube like object that | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
11 | own right, put a rod of
black chased ebonite on the lathe, and fashioned within a few minutes a sort of tube like object that
screws apart in the middle, and had a blind cap and gold clip. If I put a nib and section in it, it would make
a handsome pen, but I think I will just treasure as it is, a one of a kind holder for toothpicks or pencil leads
or even a vial of spare ink! How to purchase a Pen from Ohashi-Do
Buy a plane ticket to Japan, find your way | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
12 | or even a vial of spare ink! How to purchase a Pen from Ohashi-Do
Buy a plane ticket to Japan, find your way to Sendai, and walk in the store. If you don't want to go to | C:\LLM\fun_story.pdf |
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