-I'm the only one. -As the ink get light, turn the pen a little. -Generally the thick and short penholder is more preferred. -It is the special order for the artist. -It is for the medical treatment. -Some people buy two pens. One for to really use it and the other is for the ornament. -This was formally made of celluloid, but not anymore. -The technique by the present craftsmen cannot make these colors. -The bamboo is the natural thing, it is all about the same though some. -There is no time to think. -The stuff I made in the beginning were really bad. The interview with the craftman is available for those who read Japanese. Enjoy it!(Japanese interview)

I'm the only one:

(What kind of pen are you making?) The basic materials are these two. These clear and brown ones. The next are tips covered with white, reddish-brown, or brown. The ones with slim grips have green, but basically two kinds. These white ones cannot be ittaika type(the penholder and the tip of the pen have same materials). When they are put in fire, the shape will be disarranged. They are too soft and distorted. I cannot twist it like I'm doing now. (Do they have different names?) I call the ones with different penholders and tips konbi. These shapes are unchanged since the past and normally ones with same materials are called ittaika type. The shapes presently used are called the Original Type(developed by the master). It is light even it is thick. And, the penholder made with bamboo is used for about 90 years. In the past, pens were only the type which the tip is a screw in. The Original were generally started to use from Heisei 8(1996). But the stationery stores don't hold these because they are made of glass. They are fragile. They are appeared in many magazines. (Do they sale well?) Yes. I can't catch up with it since I'm the only one. (Only one?) Yeah. I'm the only one in Japan. In the best days, I had 24 workers. They were mostly from around here. The Taito and Sumida prefecture had most workers. They were all assembled in one place and were more than 100 workers.

As the ink get light, turn the pen a little:

(Are there many shapes for the tip?) Since I started crafting it, I never can make the same shape. (Do you make it?) Yes. It's never the same. They are all different because they are melted instantaneously and twisted like this. So I can't make the same ones though I have got order to do so. There are eight grooves to the tip made from glass. The ink runs in that groove. There have to be eight grooves in this thin tip in order to the ink to come out. (8 grooves in this thin tip!?) Yes. The ink won't come out with out these grooves. You have to keep turning the pen as you do with the pencil. As the ink get light, turn the pen a little. Then, ink comes come from the other groove and keep on doing it. The size of the tip makes a difference in suction of the ink. (Is your product longer than others?) No, it's not done yet. I cut this part. Then finish it with sand paper. It can be used without finishing it with sand paper. Also, I can make it thick with customers' order.

Generally the thick and short penholder is more preferred:

(Does the size matter for the customers?) Yes. How you hold it is very different with different sizes. Unlike in the past, I make many different designs. Generally the thick and short penholder is more preferred. The size (thickness) of the penholder is important. The minimum size for the ladies is from 8.5mm and 9mm for men. The sizes for all the pens are from 8mm to 11mm. (What about the length?) The standard is 17.5cm.

It is the special order for the artist:

(What kinds of people are using these?) Now, it is mostly the young people especially the artists. The artist from Chiba prefecture is using them. Since it is suburb, he is teaching at a community center. He has decent amount of students there. One of his students received a prize using my pen and he came to me with that student. He told me that it is better just to cut the tip and not to finish it for drawing. Without finishing, it will be little crunchy, and can draw in different sizes with different angles. So I brought this without finishing. This thick and heavy one. Thin and light is not good. It is the special order for that artist. When crafting this special order, it is hot and I get blisters.

It is for the medical treatment:

(What is the pen with the ball on it?) It is for the medical treatment. It is used in the area of neurology. Suck up the medication from here. You know the pressure point (the most effective point of human body), right? You apply it on the pressure point. It smells very good. They are used differently with different disease. I brought about 60 of them to the United States. (How is the color of the ball going to be?) It depends on the users. They choose the color depending on which medicine to use. (Can photographs be taken?) I say not to show it to the public. I don't want it get copied.

Some people buy two pens. One for to really use it and the other is for the ornament:

(What is the difference between the Original and normal type?) (The master's wife) The design is different. The normal one has nothing special. In other hand, the Original is a new type. There are two types for the Original: the konbi and the ittaika type. (How is the glass pen?) It does not have the particular direction in writing. (Is it what we call ball point pen?) Yes. (Is the back of the grip for the Original type light?) Yes. That is the peculiarity this has developed only about 2 years ago. Until now, the pens were all normal type and were heavy. The customers all say they are heavy. The 11mm to 11.5mm thickness in Original type can fit to the hands of men and ladies with big hands. They are mostly not heavy. They will be very heavy if they are all normal type. They are good for the user whom they put force in them. (Master) Like a fountain pen, the pen get used to the angle that the user prefers. Then the pen gets better and better. So you can't let other people use it. (Does it get blunt?) A little. The quality of the paper and the pen was different, but now it's not so the pen will not get blunt so much. This is not the problem. The problem is when the users put the ink. The edge of ink pot is made special and hard. Most of the time they hit the pen against that part. Just put the pen in ink straight and raise it straight back. Don't put too much ink. Putting about 1/3 is the best. It will not drip. With too much ink, the writings will get thicker and larger. I tell this to the customers in the beginning. It is best to wash it with water after each use. If washing is forgotten and gets firm, just wash it with warm water. In case that ink cannot be removed, you can wipe it off with a piece of cloth. The maintenance is very easy. My pen can be used any way. It is not only for ink. Some people grind the ink-cake and draw with their preferred depth. Since it can be used in any ink such as China Ink.
So it can be use 30 to 40 imported inks. It is probably due to the increase in variety of inks that the sales have picked up. There were about 8 companies which made pens in the past. But the pen ink was not used anymore, and the producing has once stopped. So the number companies like us(who makes glass pen) and also the company which makes G pens(pen tip made of galvanized iron) has decreased. But now those companies have reappeared again and the tip are very different from the past. There are many kinds of tips. In earlier times, only special craftsmen or account keepers used them. Nowadays, some people buy two pens. One for to really use it and the other is for the ornament. Then they really get into it and choose thick one for the ornament, prefer the special color, say the konbi type is better, and etc. (Do some people change pens regard to change the color?) Yes, some people do that. (Do they sell a lot?) I'm the only one who makes them by had, but since I cannot mechanize it, I craft them one by one. I cannot make so many. (Where can we buy them?) Any store of Tokyu Hands and Itoya, and also at little specialty store. One person opened up the store in Ogikubo. Also, there is one in Suginami. (Is it present for you or a trouble when they are sold?) It is a trouble! The problem is the date of delivery. I say at least two weeks is needed, but the customers want it as soon as possible. Presently I'm more than three months behind. (Don't you have a lot of stocks?) They are all different for each customer. Look!, the all thickness for each one are different. So I get behind.

This was formally made of celluloid, but not anymore:

(What is the G pen?) Do you know the pen that tips is made of tin and divided? That goes into the back of the penholder. Then it can be used in both with glass and galvanized iron. This style is called Tengae. The material used for the penholder is lakuto(a kind of material) which is applied in fountain pens. This other one is the normal type. This was formally made of celluloid, but not anymore. It is not permitted anymore with the fire law(It burns easily). This imitated that and is mixed and cheap.

The technique by the present craftsmen cannot make these colors:

(Is the cost of materials different with brown and clear?) The materials can be bought by weight. (Are the prices same?) I buy them in kilos. I use the narrow part as bamboo grass type and the thick part as turnip type. Do you now the vegetable turnip? Since the thick one looks like it, it is called turnip type. The people back then are simple (laugh). There used to be six colors. But now the craftsmen are only have skills to make a few colors. They analyzed for 3 months the stuff from the past with electric microscope. Some colors look the same but they are not. The technique by the present craftsmen cannot make these colors.

The bamboo is the natural thing, it is all about the same though some:

(Are the thickness of bamboo penholders all the same?) Yes. Since the bamboo is the natural thing, it is all about the same though some are little different. However, prices are all the same. Since they are from the nature, some are crooked. To change depending on the thickness of the writing, they are three-piece set: narrow tip, thick tip, and thick center.

There is no time to think:

(Is that the working glove?) Yes. I get a blister without it. It is made of leather and is very thick. (How many years have you been working?) About 43 years. (crashing sound). You should wear slippers for safety. My feet get away by themselves instantly. (Speaking as he works) There are eight grooves in the pen. The point is when I pull back my right hand. There must be these grooves to the tip or the ink won't run. You got to turn as the tip get in the fire or it will be useless. The groove melts if it gets too late. You can tell when you use it if I did it right or not. The ink does not run to the tip when I made a mistake. I have to do this work instantly. There is no time to think. My hands have to move instantly. (Is it already done?) It's done already. The fastest record is 13 pens in a minute. (How fast!?) It's fast, isn't it? They had keep watching the glass part in the fire. Burning too much is not good and too less is also bad. When the time in the fire is too short, the grooves will only be made on one side. When you pull out from the fire, it has to stretch. You have to burn to the core or the swelling of the tip won't come up. The hardest part of the beginning without any help is this. You won't get better even if you repeat this process for three month. It looks easy, but actually not. The material is the problem now. You will use about 20 kilos in three months. It's wasteful. So some people come to get trained by me. But I refuse it. (Is your successor the daughter?) Yes, but she is too busy.

The stuff I made in the beginning were really bad:

The stuff I made in the beginning is really bad. I just did it as I wanted to and had no idea what I supposed to do. I got an order from a customer and made one. Then I got an order again after about a year and sent it to him. He said, "You have improved". He came again previously and said "You got better, again."(laugh). So the works I made in the past were bad. This bulge is totally different. When I push too much, I have pull too early since it is an instantaneous thing. In the past, I kept pushing and, it won't get straight. But I did not realize that. I have to keep time while pushing and pulling. Also, you must not twist too much. (Can it be taught?) No. The hand craftsmen don't get taught. They just watch and keep time. (Does each have their own style?) Yes. I can tell the products of craftsmen who work for me by just looking at them. People all have habits. They all have their style if they workers for many years. (What is your pace in crafting?) About 10 to 15 with this thickness. (Is it hard for working such a long time?) Yes. My hands and back get sore in the beginning. The hands really get hot.