Zebra Tama Pen (Spoon Pen) Pen Nibs 20 Pieces Chrome (Hard) Zebra 10 more pieces + 400 yen Manga Pen Nibs Zebra Tama Pen (Spoon Pen) Pen Nibs 20 Pieces Engraved on the nib, №120 T. ISHIKAWA JIS ZEBRA TOKYO JAPAN These are dip pen nibs, popular for penmanship and manga. They are a popular nib for penmanship, being an orthodox nib, and are favored by many penmanship enthusiasts. Many teachers use them for penmanship, writing ◆kanji◆ from kaisho (block script) to gyosho (semi-cursive script) and kana. The nib opens smoothly, making it easy to create thick and thin lines in penmanship works, and with less resistance on the paper, it is easy to handle even for beginners. Regarding the pen nib manufacturer: LION, famous for office equipment, used to manufacture them, but they are no longer made. They stopped manufacturing and selling pen nibs over 20 years ago, in 1996 (Heisei 8). Currently, there are three Japanese pen nib brands on the market: Tachikawa, Nikko, and Zebra. The Nikko brand was taken over by Tachikawa, so there are only two manufacturers: Tachikawa and Zebra. Zebra pen nibs are a popular brand, also favored by teachers of the Japan Penmanship Study Group. There is also talk that the older ones are better in performance. The number of dip pens manufactured around 1985 (Showa 60), during the period of rapid economic growth, was 1 million gross (1 gross is 144 pieces), an astronomical figure. The nibs were made by craftsmen using manufacturing equipment, but it seems they are still using the manufacturing machines from that time. I have heard that there are fewer craftsmen like in the old days, and that the skills of the old craftsmen were higher. Also, chrome-plated nibs: They show little deterioration and still have the same performance as they did back then. I also enjoy penmanship, and I change nibs depending on what I am writing. Zebra nibs are one of my favorite nibs.