Sailor

In 1911, Mr. Kyugoro Sakata, a respected engineer from Hiroshima, Japan, was introduced for the very first time to a fountain pen. The fountain pen was demonstrated by a British sailor who was visiting Japan at the time. Mr. Sakata was so impressed by the design and function that he made the decision there and then to produce equally fine products in Japan. To this day, the company he founded (and named Sailor as a nod to the person who first introduced him to fountain pens), still produces some of the finest quality fountain pens available anywhere in the world.

Sailor Dipton

The Hocoro Dip Pen features a fude nib designed to be used with the Dipton inks to show off more of their glitzy flitter through the use of broader pen strokes. Featuring three highly saturated shimmering colours, the Dipton inks offers a small but powerful range of colours for use with dip pens.

Sailor Shikori

Shikiori - the four seasons. The changing seasons are hugely important to Japanese culture, and Sailor's Shikiori range looks at the seasons of Japan in a number of different ways. This range features beautiful fountain pens, bottles of ink, and now marker pens.

Sailor Shikiori

Sailor Calligraphy And Brush Pens

Sailor Reglus

Sailor Hi Ace

Sailor Ink And Refills

Sailor Fine Writing

Best Sellers

Sailor FAQ

What’s the history of Sailor?

Sailor was founded in 1911, as a company called Sakata-Manufactory that made gold nibs. In 1917 they changed their name to Sailor Pen Sakata-Manufactory Co., Ltd. and started making fountain pens in volume. The story goes that the name ‘Sailor’ came from the founder being shown a high-quality fountain pen by a British sailor, and deciding that he could make something that good at home in Japan. These days you can find Sailor in Kure, the Japanese city where they have always been. And if you are interested in seeing more about where Sailor fountain pens are made, then you should have a look at the blog post we wrote after we were allowed to visit.

What makes Sailor different?

Sailor have been innovative throughout their whole history, and have created some of the finest quality fountain pens in the world. Despite that, they are very accessible for everyone. Yes, you can spend thousands on a VERY nice special edition Bijou or King of Pens, but you can also pick up a nice Hi-Ace for less than £20.

Recommended Sailor products

One of Sailor’s bestsellers, the Hocoro Dip Pen features a fude nib designed to be used with the Dipton inks, which come in Shimmer and Sheen. The nibs are detachable, to make it easier to use with different nib sizes, and the barrel is hollow to keep it nice and light.

Sailor makes many different inks designed for fountain pens. If you are looking for bottled ink, the Sailor Ink Studio Bottled Ink comes in 100 different colours, so you should find something that you like. For something a bit more ‘standard,’ Sailor also makes ink cartridges, available in red, blue, black, and blue-black.