Kakimori Pen Nib — Stainless Steel Dip Pen Nib with Iridium Tip for Fountain-Pen-Style Writing (Made in Japan)

The Nib That Feels Like a Fountain Pen From the First Dip

Kakimori's other metal nibs — Brass, Stainless Steel, and Copper — share a rounded, conical shape closer to a paintbrush than a pen, built for variable line width and expressive mark-making. The Pen Nib takes the opposite approach entirely. Shaped like a traditional fountain pen nib and tipped with iridium, it's built specifically for people who want the ritual of a dip pen — no cartridge, no converter, any bottled ink — without learning an unfamiliar tool. Manufactured by Japan Fountain Pen Manufacturing, a specialist nib maker, it was developed through repeated testing to eliminate the catching and snagging that can make cheaper dip nibs frustrating for newcomers.

What Makes the Pen Nib Different

Where the conical metal nibs open into broad, angle-dependent strokes, the Pen Nib is designed to do one thing very well: write a clean, consistent line, the way a fountain pen does. Each nib is hand-adjusted for ink retention, holding roughly enough ink to write a full sentence per dip — enough for real, sustained writing rather than a quick swatch. Because there's no feed or reservoir to flush, switching ink colours takes only a quick rinse under water, making it a genuinely practical way to test multiple bottled inks in a single sitting without needing a separate pen for each one. For anyone who has been curious about bottled ink but hesitant to commit a whole fountain pen to the experiment, this is the lowest-friction way in.

Design & Craftsmanship

The nib measures 9mm wide by 3mm deep by 34mm tall and weighs just 0.5g — the lightest nib in Kakimori's dip pen range by a wide margin. It's made from stainless steel with an iridium tip, the same tip material used on quality fountain pen nibs, chosen for its smoothness and wear resistance. The nib's proportions were deliberately sized to sit in visual balance with Kakimori's nib holders, and its semi-matte finish is designed to complement the Sakura Wood, Aizome, and Urushi holders in particular, rather than competing with the wood or lacquer tones.

Compatibility & Care

The Pen Nib is nib only; a holder is sold separately, and it's designed to universal specifications that fit Kakimori's Sakura Wood, White Sakura Wood, Aizome, Urushi, and Aluminum holders as well as most standard dip pen holders. It requires close to no maintenance: rinse the nib in water frequently during use to prevent dried ink from building up, and use gentle, even strokes rather than pressing hard, since the nib is precision-shaped and not designed to flex under pressure. After each session, remove the nib from its holder, rinse it clean, and pat it dry — ink left to dry on the tip is considerably harder to remove than ink rinsed off right away.

Part of a Larger Nib Family

The Pen Nib is the most beginner-friendly member of Kakimori's dip pen lineup, sitting alongside the conical metal nibs — Brass, Stainless Steel, and Copper — as well as the Glass Nib. Where the metal nibs reward experimentation with angle and pressure for variable line widths, the Pen Nib is the one to reach for when the goal is simply clean, familiar handwriting: journaling, letters, or trying out a new bottle of ink without any learning curve.

About Kakimori

Kakimori is a stationery brand and shop rooted in Kuramae, Tokyo, tracing back to a family stationery business founded in 1961. Reopened in 2010 by third-generation owner Takuma Hirose as a shop dedicated entirely to the pleasure of handwriting, Kakimori has, since launching its original dip pen line in 2021, built a small and carefully considered catalogue of nibs, nib holders, custom inks, and order-made notebooks — tools meant, in the brand's own words, to inspire a lifetime of use.

Product Specifications

Available at Shosai — Ottawa–Gatineau

Shosai (shosai.ca) is a fine stationery boutique serving the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region. We carry a curated selection of Kakimori nibs and nib holders alongside premium fountain pen inks and papers from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

• 📍 In-store pickup: Gatineau, QC — J9J 0K6
• 🛵 Local delivery: Available in the Ottawa–Gatineau area
• 🚚 Ships Canada-wide and to the US
• 🇫🇷 Bilingual service — English and French

If you've never tried bottled ink before, the Kakimori Pen Nib is the easiest place to start — familiar to write with, easy to care for, and ready to test any ink in your collection with nothing more than a rinse between colours.