Hezezilla
Well-Known Member
Hawaii recently had its largest antique show of the year. I bought a lot of super fascinating bottles and here are a few Japanese inks from the selection. These are all dug so unfortunately no labels remain.
S.S.S. Fountain Pen Ink: The San-S Honpo Hosonuma Co. Ltd. was established in 1920 and was one of the major fountain pen ink chains in Japan prior to WW2. "S.S.S. Fountain Pen Ink" on shoulder, blank base.
Nippon Poplar Ink Co.: Could not find much info on this company but I assume this bottle dates to before the war. "Nippon Poplar Ink Co." embossed on heel. "P" on base. This "P" mark was used by multiple different ink brands, "Pilot Ink" being the largest.
Platon Ink: Again, not much information is known about this company but these bottles are extremely popular in Japan with the Fuji-San (Mt. Fuji) graphic on the front. No text, Fuji-San graphic. "PB" in a David's Star on base. Bottles with just "P" in the star are known. These babies go for about $20-$30 even without a label.
Maruzen Co. Ltd. Ink: Maruzen Ink was probably the largest printer and manufacturer of writing equipment in the country before and after WW2. They are still in business. This example is a tooled top with an "M" on bottom flanked by two kanji.
Samurai Shokai & Co.: This brand was unknown to me before I bought it. It's early machine-made and the only writing is "Samurai" on bottom.
S.S.S. Fountain Pen Ink: The San-S Honpo Hosonuma Co. Ltd. was established in 1920 and was one of the major fountain pen ink chains in Japan prior to WW2. "S.S.S. Fountain Pen Ink" on shoulder, blank base.
Nippon Poplar Ink Co.: Could not find much info on this company but I assume this bottle dates to before the war. "Nippon Poplar Ink Co." embossed on heel. "P" on base. This "P" mark was used by multiple different ink brands, "Pilot Ink" being the largest.
Platon Ink: Again, not much information is known about this company but these bottles are extremely popular in Japan with the Fuji-San (Mt. Fuji) graphic on the front. No text, Fuji-San graphic. "PB" in a David's Star on base. Bottles with just "P" in the star are known. These babies go for about $20-$30 even without a label.
Maruzen Co. Ltd. Ink: Maruzen Ink was probably the largest printer and manufacturer of writing equipment in the country before and after WW2. They are still in business. This example is a tooled top with an "M" on bottom flanked by two kanji.
Samurai Shokai & Co.: This brand was unknown to me before I bought it. It's early machine-made and the only writing is "Samurai" on bottom.
