The Sailor Pen Company was started in Hiroshima in 1911. Mr Kyugoro Sakata was intrigued by a fountain pen brought over by a friend from the UK. He was determined to produce finely crafted writing instruments in Japan and named his company Sailor with the expectation that the business would expand internationally like the voyages of a sailor.

Mr Sakata would prove to be prescient. The beauty, innovation, and technical excellence imbued in the fine writing instruments soon created a hunger for these pens worldwide.

The company has been responsible for many firsts in the writing field. They created the first fountain pen with a 21K gold nib. In the 1970’s the Chalana, the slimmest fountain pen in the world at the time made waves across the world.

Sailor aficionados will be quick to tell you about Sailor nibs, and they have cause to do so. The company offers an impressive range of nib grades to cater for the individual needs, preferences and writing style of each user. The nibs are usually crafted from either 14K or 21K solid gold, and some models do have rhodium accents. The standard nibs range from extra-fine to Music, and Sailor’s speciality nibs are in a class of their own. The Naginata Togi and Emperor Nibs produce an incredibly versatile selection of writing strokes that you would be hard pressed to replicate with any other type of fountain pen.

The company famously incorporates elements of Japanese art and culture into their collections. The Fude Pen (Brush Pen) for example, came about when the company applied elements of the traditional Japanese calligraphy pen to a writing instrument created for daily use. The company is also celebrated for its use of ‘Maki-e’ or ‘Lacquer Work’.

Maki-e is a traditional Japanese hand-applied decorative technique whereby skilled craftsmen combine intricate Urushi lacquer painting with a variety of surface decorations (like powdered gold, precious gemstones, mother-of-pearl etc.) Sailor has collaborated with many famous artists like Oshita, Kobayashi and Tamura to create these masterpieces. The fine writing instruments in the Maki-e series are inspired by various periods and elements of Japanese history and culture.

Countries have long used their most treasured art and artforms as a means to further diplomacy. So it was only apt that during the 2008 G-8 summit, Japan’s prime minister presented the gathered world leaders with Sailor pens as commemorative gifts. The Koransha-made Arita-yaki pens took two years to develop and were a cultural fusion of Western-style technology and Eastern-style Arita porcelain (Arita porcelain is a 400-year old craft that flourished during the Edo period. Created by master craftsmen even today, it is used in stately homes including the Imperial Palace).

Sailor is undoubtedly one of the best brands of fountain pens available anywhere in the world, which is why we knew we had to add them to our catalogue. Click here to see our full selection of Sailor pens.