East meets West

Okay, disclaimer: there’s a rogue mechanical pencil in here! But hear me out.

I wanted to create a post that explores a shared commonality, expressed in different ways. Functionally speaking, fountain pens don’t vary much around the world. Their purpose is universal. Where they do differ, however, is in their tuning and design philosophy.

In this post, I explore the transcendent aspects of fountain pens, and how Asia as a whole markets and presents its pens compared to where I live in the West.

These aesthetic differences may not offer tangible performance gains—with the exception of one surprising element—but they strongly influence our choice to purchase and, ultimately, to use them. In cooking, it’s commonly said that we eat with our eyes first. With fountain pens, we write with what our eyes fall in love with.

Urushi, and lacquerware as a whole, has been an interest of mine for over seven years. It was a Nakaya in Midori Tamenuri that kick-started that passion. The skill and dedication of the lacquer artists impressed me so deeply that it became the primary focus of my collection until last year. I still collect lacquered pens—but this is where the UK enters the story.

It’s sometimes wise to keep an open mind. With that in mind, I rediscovered Yard-O-Led following the change of hands to its current owners, Nick and Giles English. Their passion for fine writing encouraged me to pick up the “Lucky” pencil, which in turn led me to discover other outstanding British brands, such as Onoto.

The design philosophy is different here, with British pens favouring celluloids, precious metals, and resins that emphasise durability, heritage, and restrained elegance rather than surface ornamentation, reflecting cultural values that contrast with the visual storytelling often celebrated in Asian pens, yet ultimately arriving at the same destination: writing instruments designed not merely to function, but to be lived with, appreciated, and chosen as personal companions.

On a final note, I discovered Conco Pens around November of last year; based in Vietnam, their take on lacquerware—while visually similar to Japanese work—follows a distinctly different approach and philosophy.

Pens featured are

Yurie Move On Chrysanthemum

Conco Raden series

Lucky Pencil from Yard O Led

Onoto Scholar in Sequoya