This is one of the major fountain pen events of the year in Japan. Fuente is an organization of pen collectors with its own publications (actually small paper back books full of articles) which are published 3 times a year. Membership is free.

The president of Fuent is a man called "Debeso" Nakatani. "Debeso means "outie" belly button, and no, I didn't check to see if the name was an accurate description of the man.

The Fuente event is held on the 3rd and 4th floors of a fascinating leather and antique and import shop called Hokuo no Takumi, located in Ginza only two blocks from Eurobox.

Pen collectors from all over Japan come to participate in this event which included a pen clinic, auction, pens and items for sale, and lots of casual talking and joking over refreshments. I had the opportunity to finally meet several people in person whom I had only heard of, or had corresponded with via the internet.

One such person was Mr. Akitsugu Hasegawa, president of H-Works, which is famous for its made-to-order titanium fountain pens. Mr. Hasegawa personally makes the entire pen including barrel, nib, feed, clips and band. Our conversation yielded enough interesting material for a separate article on H-Works (which I have also recently finished).

Next, I met Kiyomi Matsumoto who lives up to her reputation for being a very colorful and energetic person. Her Website and fountain pen message board are every bit as lively as the person herself. Kiyomi was having one of her pens adjusted at a pen clinic run by Mutsumi Mori, President of the Japan Pen Collectors.

The pen community in Japan is small and close knit, so at such and event as this, there is a lot of lively conversation and laughter as old friends get together. Pentracer Eizo Fujii of Eurobox was there as well as Pentracers Ron Kimble and Mikiko Yamamoto.

The Fuente event is held every year in October. If you are anywhere in the vicinity during that time, you can't afford to miss this.

Here are some more photos from the event:

President of the Japan Pen Collectors, Mutsumi Mori in his trademark pen pocket vest

Mutsumi Mori and Kiyomi Matsumoto

H-Works President Akitsugu Hasegawa

Japan's top pen collector Masa Sunami

Pentracer Ron Kimble

Pen Collector and friend to several Pentracers in America, Keizo Kashimoto

"Duke" Takamatsu

Pentrace reporter Russ Stutler

Fuente President "Debeso" Nakatani (sitting center) listening intently to pen discussion

Kiyomi Matsumoto livening up the conversation

Mutsumi Mori's pen clinic

What kind of things do Japanese collectors write when they test pens?

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by Russ Stutler