Stan & Miki have been buying, selling, and collecting Japanese pens for almost a decade and over 5,000 pens have passed through our hands. Why Japanese pens?
Our interest began on a rainy Sunday afternoon in February with a visit to the Los Angeles International Pen Show. With not much to do, we thought it an interesting way to spend some time and, besides, it was only ten minutes from our home. Miki, who is Japanese, quickly rediscovered marques like Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor and we purchased several pens dating from the 1970s. As a natural pack rat I wanted to find more but, at the show, there were not many for sale. Soon, however, I was purchasing as many Japanese pens as could be found and afforded on eBay. At the time there were no sellers from Japan and most were sold by Americans. Our collection slowly began to grow.
In about 2001 or 2002, some sellers from Japan opened shop on eBay and collector interest in Japanese pens soon increased dramatically. Prices escalated beyond what we knew they should be. Few Westerners were acquainted with Japanese pens, prices in Japan, their availability, levels of quality, and high prices were often paid for common models. We almost abandoned our collection and sold off much of what we had.
We visit Japan regularly to see relatives and tour out-of-the-way places. One afternoon I asked Miki if there were any pen shops in her home town. She said she didn't think so, so I asked her to check the telephone book. One! Just one, was found to be near where we had planned to have dinner.
This was a fantastic little shop that had been in existence since before World War II and run by the same woman all these years. She was eager to show us every one of her fantastic pens. We could not afford everything and purchased only four very attractive pens that have become the cornerstone of our collection.
My interest was piqued and renewed and, on return to America, was determined to find more. Knowing the pens available on eBay would be priced more than what I wished to pay, I enlisted the help of family members in Japan to seek out pens from antique shops and the like, and bid on Yahoo Japan, the Japanese equivalent of eBay. Why not, as this was where many of the pens being sold in America were originally purchased.
Soon our cabinets were filled with more pens of designs and marques than we ever knew existed. It became obvious we could not collect everything and decided to share our fortune with fellow collectors and users of Japanese pens.
Our first sales on Pentrace included invitations for prospective buyers to be included in a mailing list for future sales. It quickly grew. We also posted messages encouraging potential buyers to consider investigating Yahoo Japan. and bid through a proxy service. Several posts were removed without explanation, readers were discouraged by anonymous posters, and insulting email received. To not alert our competition, we moved our sales as much 'underground' as possible.
Sales continued to grow and our mailing list is now in four figures. We pioneered low price, real cost shipping anywhere in the world. We gave away small gifts with each sale and sold pens with converters. Most sellers on the 'bay still provide only two cartridges.
Despite our success, this is not a business. For us, pens are a hobby and we treat you and it as such.
Our website is a long-cherished dream. Stan is a Moderator for the Pens From The Land of The Rising Sun (Japan) forum at Fountain Pen Network. He has also been asked to write articles for The PENnant, magazine of the Pen Collectors of America, and do presentations to pen clubs and civic groups. We owe the pen collecting community much and trust what we offer on our site will compensate in a small way.
Ryojusen (Jap.) (Eagle Peak - English) is a small mountain located north-east of Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha in ancient India. Eagle Peak is known as a place frequented by Shakyamuni, where he is said to have expounded the Lotus Sutra and other teachings. According to The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom by Nagarjuna, Eagle Peak derived its name from its eagle-shaped summit and the many eagles inhabiting it. It symbolizes the Buddha land or the state of Buddhahood, as in the expression "the pure land of Eagle Peak." We have chosen Ryojusen as our name as it represents the great joy brought by our pens.
Thank you very much for visiting.
RYOJUSEN
霊鷲山