KAKIMORI
カキモリ
京 日本 TOKYO, JAPON
Have you ever imagined an ink bar?
A true Tokyo stationery store, Kakimori has been exploring the world of colours and shades like a mixologist in search of new flavours for over 10 years.
In each of its three shops, the brand has a space for creating customised colours. With the help of test tubes and pipettes, customers can mix their own inks to obtain a customised colour.
感情表現 THE COLOUR OF FEELINGS
Kakimori's inks are inspired by onomatopoeia and haiku, translating feelings into colour.
Japanese designer Makoto Koizumi has shaped the ink bottles into the shape of falling drops. The flat, stable base prevents the bottle from tipping over and the 20 mm opening with an 8 degree angle is designed to allow you to dip or fill your pens in an optimal way.
Once dry, these pigment inks are water and fade resistant. They have been designed to ensure that your print will stand the test of time.
フェザードア
FEATHER DOORS
Natural sakura wood penholder
Discover the feel of natural wood. Japanese cherry is known for its reddish color, which intensifies over time, allowing you to appreciate the unique transformation of your pen. An ink-resistant finish guarantees practicality while retaining the natural appeal of the wood.
Light sakura wood nib holder
A penholder made from the sapwood of the Japanese cherry tree, characterized by its pale, white appearance. Our penholders are made of solid wood and hand-graded according to color.
Aluminium pen holder
A machined penholder in solid aluminum. Designed to facilitate writing, it fits comfortably in the hand like a standard pencil.
Each penholder is carefully hand-finished, giving the metal a touch of softness that can only be achieved by hand. The pleasant weight creates a well-balanced writing experience.
Quill holder in Japanese urushi lacquer
A penholder made from Japanese cherry wood and lacquered using the fuki-urushi technique. Designed to facilitate writing, the 7-inch length fits comfortably in the hand like a standard pencil.
Fuki-urushi is a traditional Japanese lacquering technique that is also widely used in historic architecture. The penholder is first stained with sumi ink before being covered with black lacquer to enhance the beauty of the lacquer and wood grain.
Tokushima Japanese indigo penholder
A penholder made from Japanese cherry wood and finished with aizome, the Japanese indigo dye. Designed to facilitate writing, it fits comfortably in the hand like a standard pencil.
The elegant wood grain is accentuated by the deep indigo finish. Each penholder is carefully hand-dyed by an indigo artisan.
Aluminium pen holder
A machined penholder in solid aluminum. Designed to facilitate writing, it fits comfortably in the hand like a standard pencil.
Each penholder is carefully hand-finished, giving the metal a touch of softness that can only be achieved by hand. The pleasant weight creates a well-balanced writing experience.
ザ・フィーターズ
FEATHERS
Pen nib
Enjoy the smooth writing feel of a fountain pen with a maintenance-free nib. When you've finished writing, simply rinse with water and dry. An ideal first nib for those new to bottled ink.
The nib is carefully aligned by hand for superior ink retention, enabling you to write about one sentence each time you dip the nib. Designed specifically for writing, it replicates the shape of a fountain pen nib, while rigorous testing ensures it won't snag on paper.
Stainless steel nib
The stainless steel nib was born out of the desire for a durable and practical immersion pen nib. Enjoy a variety of line widths, from fine to broad, by tilting the nib at different angles.
The nib was designed by Yuto Yamazaki of the Kuramae-based Alloy design studio. The nib tip has been rounded and polished with meticulous care, delivering a remarkably smooth writing experience that defies expectation. Perfected over many iterations, this innovative nib is like no other.
Brass nib
The brass nib was born out of the desire for a durable and practical dip pen nib. Enjoy a variety of stroke widths, from fine to broad, by tilting the nib at different angles.
The nib was designed by Yuto Yamazaki of the Kuramae-based Alloy design studio. The nib tip has been rounded and polished with meticulous care, delivering a remarkably smooth writing experience that defies expectation. Perfected over many iterations, this innovative nib is like no other.
色即是空 A WHOLE UNIVERSE AROUND COLOUR
At Kakimori, we celebrate the pleasure of writing.
By writing, we convey our thoughts and emotions, enriching our exchanges with others.
No matter if you want to write a novel, a love letter, a diary, or a sketch from life, there will always be a piece of your memories that you want to keep, inked on a page.
もんこをおさめる
PRESERVE LOCAL CRAFT
Around the world, once thriving local economies are rapidly disappearing, and a region's unique crafts and resources are being lost, blinded by economic gain
The environmental impacts of this reality are an immediate challenge to the sustainability of our future existence.
For those involved in the craft industry, preserving the knowledge and skills of craftsmen developed over the course of history, and consciously returning to a more sustainable way of life, has become more imperative than ever.
By controlling the entire chain from design to production, Kakimori is reviving local and artisanal manufacturing, which is unfortunately in decline.
時間町
A NEIGHBOURHOOD WHERE TIME STANDS STILL
The Kakimori and Inkstand shops are located in the old manufacturing district of Kuramae
Far from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya, Kakimori is in one of Tokyo's oldest neighbourhoods where small traditional houses, design studios and theatres have survived the test of time.
It is in this slow and contemplative Tokyo that Kakimori imagines himself as the storyteller of this neighbourhood, nourished by interactions with the inhabitants.
カキモリステーショナリー
KAKIMORI STATIONERY
Kakimori stationery is a true ode to writing
Kakimori Stationery is the brainchild of Hirose Takuma. Opened in 2010, the shop was initially aimed at writing enthusiasts. As a result, the premises are filled with an impressive range of fountain pens and other items carefully selected from the leading Japanese and foreign stationery brands, a selection that has found its audience.
The first thing that catches your eye as soon as you open the front door is the colourful wooden floor that is so typical of Kakimori. You'll be greeted by rows of wooden shelves filled with pens, pencils, ink bottles and reams of paper, which sit alongside a range of snap fasteners, cardboard covers and colourful ribbons. All of these materials are used to make personalised notebooks to the customer's specifications.
1-6-2 Misuji, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0055
インキスタンド
INK STAND
When making custom inks, a cat's eye colour is a regular request
Inkstand's bespoke service was launched in 2014 to meet a demand for more personalised colour choices. "We had our regular colours at first, but customers said they wanted to choose shades in between," he explains, gesturing to the four blues in their collection of ready-made inks, including a dark indigo and a bright sea blue.
Today, the choice is almost endless. Customers are greeted by a wall of objects and their corresponding shades, designed to provide tonal inspiration before entering the mixing room.
A bright pink apple is placed next to a corresponding shade of fuchsia. The music from Franz Liszt's "Liebestraum No. 3, Notturno" has been translated into a light pink ("I wanted to show that you can create colour from your imagination," explains Hirose). Next to each object is a handwritten card with the recipe for the colour and test tubes containing the inks used as ingredients in the mixture. "We call them colour specimens, they are colours collected from our environment.
Inside the lab, customers are given a glass tube, a pen, paper and 17 different inks. They experiment and play with the colours until they get the perfect shade. The recipe is then recorded and turned into a full 35 ml bottle. Then comes the pen: fountain pen, biros, ink pen or felt-tip pen. There's also "Post," Inkstand's online iteration: "You describe the type of colour you want, then we create two or three colour options, and you can order the one you want."
Clients are mostly in their 20s and 40s - "digital natives who were surrounded by technology as children and want to do something physical". They often come with a colour in mind, and many "also bring pictures of their pets", smiles Hirose, revealing that a cat's eye colour is a regular request. One particularly memorable order came from a deaf customer who used writing for most of his communication and ordered a spectrum of blues. "He needed something that represented him. We all have a different voice; we can also have different handwriting or our own colour to show our personality."
On the floor of the Kakimori shop: 1-6-2 Misuji, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0055
廣瀬拓馬インタビュー INTERVIEW WITH TAKUMA HIROSE
"Hirose san has seen a recent resurgence of interest in more traditional instruments. Recently, many people have been buying fountain pens," he says. He compares the rise of old-school writing tools to the resurgence of the vinyl record in the face of streaming services such as Spotify."
カスタマイズされた色 A COLOUR TO SUIT
If you have a proposal for collaboration, we would be happy to discuss it with you.
どこで買えばいいの？
WHERE TO BUY ?
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For everyone
You have a crush? Find the whole collection on our online shop.
