Andreas Lambrou and Masamichi Sunami began working together in 1980. Their ultimate goal has been to document the pens and pen industry of Japan. Research on this book began in 1986. After 26 years, a substantial financial investment by Classic Pens, over 12,000 man hours by each author and with the generous help of many pen collectors and companies in both the East and the West, the work was completed and published in 2012.

Fountain Pens of Japan has an ambitious specification.

• Large format, hardbound cloth with dust jacket, 12 x 9 inches , 448 pages.
• History of the fountain pen and its industry in Japan from around 1880 to the present. Major and minor manufacturers are covered. Pens, inks, ephemera and equipment used for hand pen manufacture in earlier eras are detailed.
• Materials and techniques to embellish pens, are extensively discussed.
• Customized pens for the Japanese Trade and pens made or embellished in Japan, for other makers are included.
• Professional photography throughout the book depicts the pens life size for easy identification.
• A large number of prototypes not documented before are included.
• More than 1,700 images are detailed, of these more than 500 vintage and modern pens, have not been previously documented in a book on pens.

In his preface, Yoshinobu Akiyama,General Manager, Sailor Pen International states:.

The transmission of thoughts and emotions through the handwritten word using a fountain pen is still widely appreciated and valued throughout the world.

Japanese fountain pen manufacturers are relatively few in number, but the variety of styles and surface decorations they employ makes this new book exceptionally colorful and informative..

Andreas and Masamichi have excelled in the detailed research required for such a publication and have skillfully brought together all the information and images from contacts and sources around the globe. This reference book will undoubtedly be a valuable source of information for pen lovers everywhere.

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