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Friday, January 01, 2010

A Collection of Pencil Cases

Like many people I enjoy a good read whilst relaxing on holiday. Unfortunately, this is one book I won’t be reading
A Collection of Pencil Cases book
See, it’s in Japanese, which I don’t read or speak, so I just get to look at the pictures. Of course being a Japanese book, it opens back-to-front by my western standards. It was sent to me from Japan by Isu of The Uncomfortable Chair, and he explains, “The book, 筆箱採集帳(fudebako-saisyucho), is a collection book of pencil cases. "Fudebako" means a pencil case, "saisyu" means collection, and "cho" means note or book”. So basically in English its title would be something like “A Collection of Pencil Cases”.

The book is the creation of “Bungu Jam”, a group of three well known Japanese stationery enthusiasts.
Kidate Taku http://www.irobun.com/
Takabatake Masayuki http://bungu.seesaa.net/
Tako Kabeuji http://takonet.com/

Somehow they selected 59 people and photographed the contents of their pencil cases. The people are from various different walks of life – the pencil cases featured are carried by architects, illustrators, designers, writers, students, teachers, doctors, actors, tour leaders, and more.

Softcover, A5 size, 95 numbered pages - here’s a random selection of some the pencil cases.




Note that this page is the pencil case of a person called “Isu”.


One of my favourites – artistry in fine steel.


I’m hoping the photos will be viewed in a favourable light rather than in a possible breach of copyright sort of way.
Happy New Year!
at

34 comments:

  1. Matthew RFriday, 01 January, 2010

    Where can I buy the book? Any idea?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AkisFriday, 01 January, 2010

    A very interesting post. Nice photos. I hope you want have to remove them because of copyright. Do you know how can I buy this book?
    People in Japan really love their stationary. I wish it was the same in Greece too.
    Happy new year Dave... bring us even more inspiration on 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  3. dowdyismFriday, 01 January, 2010

    What a cool book! I'd definitely buy this if I could find it on Amazon or somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AkisFriday, 01 January, 2010

    Very nice post with very nice photos.
    Do you know how I can buy this book. I can't read japanese but I like the photos.
    They really love stationary in Japan. I wish it was the same in Greece.
    Happy new year Dave. Give us even more inspiration on 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MikeFriday, 01 January, 2010

    that book looks awesome! where can i find it and are there any ways to get cases like those in the us?

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFriday, 01 January, 2010

    Great post! I hope a site like Jlist decides to carry it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. B2-kunFriday, 01 January, 2010

    Very neat book indeed. Can be frustrating not to be able to read unique books with interesting content not available in one native's language. Always toyed with the idea of picking up some Japanese reading and verbal skills, but never carried that desire through. Considering to get "Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure" to get a bit more out of my rather large collection of Japanese books on video game and anime character design.

    ReplyDelete
  8. che pabloFriday, 01 January, 2010

    I believe that Amazon.jp will ship books and media (but nothing else as far as I can tell) to the US. Perhaps they will ship elsewhere. Dave, maybe you could post the ISBN from the beginning of the book?

    The OLFA Autolock knife is quite popular as it should be since it's a very dependable knife. Still, the damascened blade in the last image is exquisite. For some reason, I like that it has not had a handle placed on it. I can't tell if the item next to it is an agate burnisher or if it is a knife with a cover. If so, it seems like the knives for carving woodblocks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kiwi-dFriday, 01 January, 2010

    Sorry, I'm away on holiday and dont have the ISBN or Japan eBay details. I'll post them in a few days, unless someone beats me to it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    I just stumbled on this blog and i must congratulate you on a job well done...

    A very good read on something as daily as a clutch pencil...

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Actually you can find it on Japan Amazon:http://tinyurl.com/ycanof5,the 10 digits ISBN is: 4862120741 and 13 digits ISBN is: 978-4862120748.Totally agree that it's an awesome stationery book that can be read again and again.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    ISBN of this book is 978-4-86212-074-8. Price is 1575JPY(about 17USD) and shipping postage.
    Amazon.co.jp (NOT amazon.com) deals this book and will ship worldwide.
    http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4862120741/namonakidic-22
    Default language of this site is Japanese, but you can select English navigations.

    I'm poor at English, so please check it yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  13. isuSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    The ISBN code of this book is 4862120741.

    This is the link from Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese).
    http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%AD%86%E7%AE%B1%E6%8E%A1%E9%9B%86%E5%B8%B3-%E8%B6%A3%E5%91%B3%E3%81%97%E3%82%85%E3%81%BF%E7%94%BB%E5%A0%B1-%E3%83%96%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%83%A0/dp/4862120741

    Help in English of Amazon.co.jp
    http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=1039576

    ReplyDelete
  14. thomasdavSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    A quick Search for '筆箱採集帳 isbn' gave this book's ISBN 10 as being 4862120741. A check on Amazon.co.jp affirms that this is at least a very similar object.

    Note that I post this with one condition: That you don't buy them all before I get a chance!

    ReplyDelete
  15. thomasdavSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Also, I thought I should post a little of the Amazon descripton, as translated by Google Translate:

    This book is a "pencil" is a book. However, pencil case and say this is the only word for that is not the so-called pen case. More broadly, "a choice chunk of stationery unit to carry + case" "catch and you'll have.

    Gotta love web translators!

    ReplyDelete
  16. che pabloSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Take your time. The book is clearly one of the most dangerous ever for pencil afficionados. I and my budget will flee from it. :-) Thanks for the pictures, though.

    ReplyDelete
  17. HenrikSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Off topic:
    Well, how do you like the other book in the photo? Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy has become quite a bestseller up here.
    Oh, and a happy new year to you and yours. As usual: keep up the good work.

    Henrik

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kiwi-dSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Hi Henrik
    Yes, its popular here to. I enjoyed it, have to read number 2 now.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kiwi-dSaturday, 02 January, 2010

    Oh, thanks also to those above who have posted the book details.

    ReplyDelete
  20. CarmenSunday, 03 January, 2010

    uuuhh, pencil porn. great pictures! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Time WasterSunday, 03 January, 2010

    They have some pretty neat and unique pencil bags on Jet pen. personally have one a Walmart no Boundries bag made in china it's kinda ugly but it's fuctional considering I don't travel much or anywhere with my pencils.

    Not sure how many folks in the orient still use Sumi Brushes since the invention of email message board blogs or twitter.

    ReplyDelete
  22. GuntherSunday, 03 January, 2010

    Thank you for showing that excellent book! By the way, I like the table cloth (?) in the first photo, its reflections in the candleholder and the Pentel Graph 600 which colours match perfectly. – Thank you also for sharing the link to the three authors; especially Takabatake Masayuki's blog is most interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Kiwi-dMonday, 04 January, 2010

    Hi Gunther
    Well I was trying to be a litle artistic, so thanks. Its a placemat rather than table cloth.

    I believe Takabatake Masayuki has been labelled 'The Stationery King' by Japanese TV.

    ReplyDelete
  24. GuntherTuesday, 05 January, 2010

    Hi kiwi-d
    Great! Your art looks like a hommage to Op art.

    Labelled "The Stationery King"? Wow, that's a knightly accolade!

    ReplyDelete
  25. StephenTuesday, 05 January, 2010

    Mr. Masayuki Takahata is mentioned here.

    ReplyDelete
  26. GermThursday, 07 January, 2010

    Me must have copy. Dave......

    ReplyDelete
  27. DavidMonday, 18 January, 2010

    what is the pen in the first image called (layin on the right side)?

    please let me know

    lantecova@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Kiwi-dMonday, 18 January, 2010

    It's a Pentel Graph 600, model PG605.

    ReplyDelete
  29. NycterisFriday, 05 February, 2010

    Was that a photo of a USB thumb drive built into a white eraser? Very cool. What a neat, quirky, niche book! Such beauty in every day things.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Kiwi-dFriday, 05 February, 2010

    Hi Nycteris - yes I believe it is a USB stick thats been stuck into an eraser.

    ReplyDelete
  31. GuntherFriday, 05 February, 2010

    I was so taken with that idea that I have built my own and shown it on my weblog.

    ReplyDelete
  32. PalimpsestWednesday, 21 April, 2010

    Simply delectable! And your photos are fantastic as usual.
    I found this post as I was looking for an obscure (for me) pencil case I came across in Thackeray's Vanity Fair: it's called Leader's pencil case. The character says that when he's rich he can get one of those.
    Any ideas anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Kiwi-dWednesday, 21 April, 2010

    Hi Palimpsest. Thanks for the photographic compliment. I'm afraid I'm obviously not rich enoung to have heard of Leader's pencil cases, so I'm no help to you.

    ReplyDelete
  34. PalimpsestFriday, 23 April, 2010

    Oh, well. Let me know when you win the Lottery. :)

    ReplyDelete