In Wednesday’s general recap of the 2025 San Francisco Pen Show, I discussed how one of my favorite aspects of the San Francisco Pen Show is the content. The show offers a wide range of classes, workshops, and discussion panels on topics ranging from nib tuning to calligraphy to zentangling, and of course fountain pens, inks, and paper! Today I’ll discuss my observations and takeaways from the two I attended last weekend.
Thursday Evening Panel Discussion: Exhibitors from Singapore and Japan Discuss Their Preferred Inks, Pens, and Paper
For me, the show kicked off on Thursday night with a panel discussion moderated by Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens. The panel featured four guests: Naoyuki Takeuchi, the head of Ink Planning and Development at Nagasawa Stationery in Kobe Japan; Daryl Lim of Atelier Musubi; Satoru of seY Pen; and renowned nib artisan Yukio Nagahara, who attended the show with his company The Nib Shaper. (I was lucky enough to snag a front row seat since I agreed to act as “Timer” and did my best to keep everyone on schedule.)
Takeuchi-san discusses his favorite fountain pen while his translator Anastasia looks on. Photo credit to Matthew Chen / Vanness Pens.
The discussion (and the follow-on Q&A) continued for well over an hour, so a complete recap of all the topics that were discussed is impossible. That said, here are my top three takeaways that I found the most interesting/insightful:
How does Nagasawa come up with ideas for hundreds of inks? More on this below, but Takeuchi-san provided some insight into how he comes up with ideas for the nearly 200 inks in the “Kobe Inks” collection. Interestingly enough, he described being able to “see things in color,” meaning that when he sees a landscape or building or natural wonder, he sees the color, as opposed to the shape. All of the Kobe Inks are inspired by landmarks and scenery around Kobe Japan, and the colors they evoke.
Do different regions/countries have different paper preferences? Apparently, the answer is yes, and I found this part of the discussion fascinating. According to Daryl Lim of Atelier Musubi, the North American fountain pen market strongly prefers ultra smooth, coated papers such as Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light, whereas the Asian and European markets prefer more absorbent/textured paper such as Midori MD Cotton and similar European products with higher cotton content. My personal observation is that the North American market (and particularly the U.S. market), is heavily influenced by the belief that unless paper has absolutely zero bleedthrough/showthrough/feathering, it cannot be considered “fountain pen friendly” and should not be used or sold as suitable for fountain pens. Other markets are apparently much more tolerant of different ink behaviors on different paper, and will even accept slight feathering on certain paper in exchange for the shorter dry times and more cushiony writing feel.
How was the Naginata/Kodachi nib developed? Another of my favorite answers, in which Yukio Nagahara was asked about the story behind the development of his father’s “Naginata” nib that was created for Sailor and now has taken on a life of its own, with Nagahara-san having named his particular version of the nib the “Kodachi”, and also having taught other nib workers such as Matthew Chen the grind so that they can add to the wealth of nib options out there. The metaphor he used was “water falling on a stone,” as the nib grinds evolve over time as each maker perfects their technique.
Saturday Ink Seminar with Nagasawa Bungu Center
On Saturday, Nagasawa representatives held their own seminar in which Takeuchi-san and his translator Anastasia discussed the history behind the Sailor Kobe inks and explained in-depth how the inks were created in the years following the Great Hanshin Earthquake that occurred in 1995 to raise the community’s morale by celebrating the city following the devastation that occurred. The inks are numbered in the order they were created, and according to Nagasawa, the first three remain among the most popular: No. 1 (Rokko Green), No. 2 (Hatoba Blue), and No. 3 (Old City Sepia). Seminar attendees were given an ink sample card with the opportunity to test dozens of different Kobe inks that Nagasawa had loaded into tester pens and passed around the tables.
The Nagasawa Team presenting on Saturday.
The seminar concluded with a Q&A session. While there were some insightful questions posed, and the Nagasawa team did a great job attempting to respond thoroughly to everybody, this session reinforced a personal frustration I have with the degree to which some fountain pen users get very wrapped up in the technical details of what is a strongly analog, inexact, and artistic product. The focus of the Nagasawa Seminar was the history behind the Kobe Ink Series, its strong ties to Kobe, Japan, and the artistry and creativity necessary to create 150 different inks inspired by specific places around a single city. Yet I was a little dismayed at the extent to which the initial questions focused on things like ink formulation, “ink safety,” color variation in bottles purchased years apart, etc. Even though the questions themselves were genuine and honest, they felt misplaced. The story being told focused on the history of a classic product that’s sincerely rooted in its community with a strong sense of place - something rare in today’s market and certainly a story you wouldn’t hear in another venue. It’s not how I personally would have chosen to pick the brain of the creator of one of the most famous ink lines in the world. Again, I was extremely impressed with how the Nagasawa representatives quite graciously answered all the questions posed, speaking through a translator and in light of the fact that the inks themselves are manufactured by Sailor, who handles things like ink formulation.
Takeaways from One of the Best Pen Shows I Have Attended in Years
The San Francisco Pen Show remains one of the best shows on the circuit in terms of content and variety of exhibitors. If you appreciate Japanese stationery, there is no better show in the United States. I’m not going to do a full discussion of show logistics, crowds, etc., as you can find that elsewhere. There certainly were issues with crowds, navigation, and the fact that the show has likely outgrown its current venue, but I still wouldn’t miss this one for the world. See you all next year!
Many thanks to everyone who made this trip to the San Francisco Pen Show possible, especially Vanness Pens for hosting us at their table! I definitely plan to return next year.
