"Maruzen World Fountain Pen Exhibition Exhibition and Spot Sale" The other day, when I passed through Maruzen in Nihonbashi, I noticed this information. Maruzen was a pioneer who invited not only Western books but also Western European stationery to Japan during the Restoration. As for the fountain pen, the encyclopedia states, 'In Japan, Maruzen Co., Ltd. of Tokyo sold a small amount of waterman's products at stores in 1895, and full-scale imports came after 1902.' (Nihon Univ. Encyclopedia Zensho (Shogakukan)))
Since then, fountain pens have spread rapidly, and many celebrities have written and sketches (painted with fountain pens) in the booklet entitled "Impressions of Manfountain pens" published by Maruzen in 1912 (Meiji 45). I am. The beginning of the book is Soseki Natsume (1867-1916)'s "Yoto Mannen Brush".
In this sentence, Soseki says that he is short of using his fountain pen and that he is less familiar. Twelve years ago, when studying in the UK, a fountain pen received from a relative (Mrs. Kyoko's sister) as a farewell gift was destroyed by using a "imitation of instrumental gymnastics" (iron bar) on board. Was. Three or four years ago, I bought two "pelicans" at Maruzen, but I returned to the original pen writing because "unhappy and the impression of the extra pelicans was not very good." He said that he felt "I miss my separated wife later" because of the trouble of soaking the pen in the ink pot. "This manuscript was written by Roan-kun (Roan Uchida (1868-1929), who was an advisor to Maruzen at the time) to use it to look at it, and it was very pleasant to write it evenly. " This booklet also contains photos of the manuscript of this sentence written by Soseki in "Onoto G".
It is a sentence that does not have a slight advertising smell to put it in a fountain pen PR booklet, but when I read what Roan wrote, "Mr. Natsume was a person who often accepted the request. I asked him to write a fountain pen, but he didn't make a bad face, but he said, "I'm in trouble." So, no, I just have to say bad things, so I asked you to write something useful." Also, in Soseki's discourse later published in a newspaper, he said, "I'm currently using Onoto because I'm the second generation. I don't think this is good, but it's nothing, because I got it from Maruzen's Roan Uchida, until I use it." Even if you bought the convenience, you probably didn't think so much. According to Roan, Soseki hated glass ink stands, and inks hated blue black, and they liked sepia color.
At the time of joining Soseki, the Asahi Shimbun was located in Takiyama-cho, Kyobashi-ku (currently Ginza 6-chome), as well as known for his songs by Takuboku Ishikawa (1886-1912). Like Soseki, Sojinkan Sugimura (1872-1945), who entered the morning sun at the invitation of his main writer, Ikebe Sanzan (1864-1912), said that Soseki rarely came to work, but when he came out at the editorial meeting held on Wednesday, he laughed with few words and listened to people with a smile, but whenever he opened his mouth, everyone laughed and seemed to be busy. Was there a fountain pen of Onoto in Soseki's hand at such a time?
Soseki is also a favorite? Onoto became a luxury fountain pen, but after the war, the manufacturer U.K. de la Roo stopped producing fountain pens. Currently, Maruzen is selling high-end fountain pens of "Reprinted Edition" bearing the name of Onoto. At Nihonbashi Maruzen, the fountain pen section is the first basement floor. As I looked around the sales floors that were beautifully arranged from ultra-luxury to popular products, I realized that I had lost my fountain pen for a long time, and at the same time, when I was a child more than fifty years ago, my deceased parents I was impressed when I bought a fountain pen for the first time.
