Zebra Tama Pen (Spoon Pen) Pen Nibs - 10 pieces Engraving on the pen nib: №120 T. ISHIKAWA JIS ZEBRA TOKYO JAPAN 10 pieces Free shipping. Unused. These are dip pen nibs, popular for penmanship/manga. These are orthodox pen nibs for penmanship, and are popular with many penmanship enthusiasts. Many teachers use these for penmanship to write ◆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 these, but they are no longer made. Production and sales of pen nibs were discontinued in 1996 (Heisei 8), over 20 years ago. 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. During the high-growth period, around 1985 (Showa 60), the number of dip pens manufactured was 1 million gross (1 gross is 144 pieces), an astronomical figure. The pen nibs were made by craftsmen using manufacturing equipment, but it seems that 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 pen nibs are less prone to deterioration and still have the same performance as they did back then. I also enjoy penmanship, and I change pen nibs depending on what I am writing. Zebra pen nibs are one of my favorite pen nibs.