The Ikimasho pocket pen
The Ikimasho is a Matome original design. We wanted a fountain pen that was easy to take along with you, so it had to be small and smooth. Small so it can fit into whatever pocket or pouch you want to put it in, and smooth so that it wouldn’t catch on any edges when you need to bring it out.
When posted, however, it captures the feel and form of a premium writing instrument, with a long, comfortable grip section and a substantial feel in the hand.
The most unique feature of the Ikimasho is the way that the cap ‘posts,’ or secures itself to the barrel. Friction fit clip caps are fast and convenient, but they lack the security of a threaded approach. Other pocket pens may use threads on the rear barrel to secure the cap, but these tend to be right at the rear of the barrel and can be a little finnicky to engage properly.
Our approach was to create threads further up the barrel, along the tapered slope of the barrel’s diameter. The result is a secure connection between cap and barrel that is extremely unlikely to come undone even if it experiences a push from the sides (friction fit caps can sometimes move or rattle). Additionally, because the cap is already encapsulating the barrel, it naturally centers itself which makes it easy to engage the threads - just push and spin, the alignment is already taken care of.
All Matome pens are crated one by one in our workshop - from the casting of resin to the turning of the pen, to final inspection, polish, and tuning of the nib, be assured that we have checked and double-checked every step of the creation. The Tomaru is a premium writing instrument and the care we take in its making is a reflection of that.