Columbia Fountain Pen
Here is a mint in the box Japanese Columbia Pen. Not long ago I bought a large collection of pens that came from the Ominato Works of Asakusa area, Tokyo. If you know American Pen history well, then the name Fulton St., Broadway and Maiden Lane might sound familiar to you. This was the pen makers district in New York. Waterman, Foley, Mabie Todd and Bard and dozens of others had thier shops and offices in this small area. In Japan a very similar area existed; The Asakusa area of Tokyo. In ancient history this was the area where the most talented artists in the country were brought to work on temples and shrines for the powerful Shougun leaders. In modern history the same area was used by craftsmen, jewelers and pen makers. Below is an image from a 1920's postcard. The scene is taken from the park, and just beyond the pond are the jewelry and pen maker buildings. The Japanese pen makers Swan, SSS and others were located here. Ominato seems to have made dozens of different kinds of pens under different names, but they were all shipped in the same Hissei box.
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