Kakimori — Writing Tools for the Joy of Handwriting

There is a particular kind of patience that does not announce itself loudly. Kakimori, a stationery brand from Kuramae, Tokyo, carries exactly that kind. Their premise is straightforward: handwriting is a pleasure worth protecting, and the tools for it should be built to last, refill, and be passed down rather than replaced. Their motto, in their own words: we write with joy.

Born in Kuramae, Rooted in a Family Trade

Kakimori's roots go back to 1961, when the family first opened as a commercial supplier of office stationery in Tokyo. In 2010, third-generation owner Takuma Hirose reopened the business as a single shop dedicated entirely to the craft of writing, relocating to Kuramae — a former merchant district on the Sumida River now known for small workshops and independent makers, often compared to a Tokyo version of Brooklyn. What began as a pivot away from commercial office supply became, over the following decade, a studio built around notebooks, custom inks, and — from 2021 onward — an original line of writing instruments.

Tools Built Around the Interchangeable Nib

Kakimori's Frost dip pens are the clearest expression of that studio approach. Each pen pairs a solid brass or aluminum holder with an exposed, interchangeable steel nib — no cartridge, no converter, no proprietary ink system to lock you into. The nib simply dips into any bottled ink and writes. It is a format better suited than most fountain pens to trying inks with heavy shimmer, sheen, or pigment content, since there is no feed or channel to clog. When a nib eventually wears down, you replace the nib alone; the holder itself is built to be kept for years.

A Design Language of Frosted Glass

The Frost name comes from the pens' signature finish: sandblasted metal bodies in translucent, amber, violet, moss, and graphite tones, evoking the look of frosted glass rather than polished lacquer. It is a quiet, tactile aesthetic that favours texture over shine — consistent with Kakimori's broader design philosophy, in which every product is meant to be handled, tested, and used daily rather than displayed.

Engineered for Any Ink

Because the nib is fully exposed and the reservoir sits at the back of the nib itself, Kakimori pens are ink-agnostic by design. They work equally well with Kakimori's own small-batch pigment inks and with bottles from other makers — a rare degree of flexibility in a hobby where many pens are engineered around one brand's cartridges.

Available at Shosai

Shosai carries a curated selection of Kakimori Frost dip pens and interchangeable nibs, serving the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region with local pickup and shipping across Canada and the US. We are always happy to help you find the right nib width or colourway — whether this is your first dip pen or an unconventional addition to an established collection.

Browse the Kakimori collection at Shosai, or get in touch. We are here for exactly this.