cobcob: Ballpoint Pens from Fragrant Yoshino Cedar Burls
We visited Yumesaka, a workshop in Sakurai, Nara, surrounded by tall Yoshino cedars and fresh forest air. Here Mr. Morimoto, a forester who also crafts wooden goods by hand, makes ballpoint pens from a rare part of the Yoshino cedar called the kobu, or burl, under the name cobcob.
Their greatest charm is the scent. Open the test-tube package and the clean fragrance of cedar fills the air, like a walk in the Yoshino forest. In an age of screens, writing by hand while enjoying that scent is a quiet luxury. The irregular natural grain also makes them a refined gift.
Yoshino cedar
Yoshino cedar, grown in Nara's Yoshino region, is one of Japan's most famous timbers, prized for its straight grain, beautiful color and pleasant scent. "Yoshino forestry plants trees densely and thins them, keeping the good and cutting the poor. With Osaka nearby and the Yoshino River for transport, forestry flourished here." His family has worked the forest since his grandfather's day.
Cedar once filled Japanese life: soy sauce and sake barrels, firewood, charcoal. As lifestyles changed, so did demand. "People used to build homes with fine timber. Now they'd rather have a cheap closet than a fine alcove pillar." Straight logs go to market; crooked ones fuel biomass power. Where roads cannot reach, logs are lifted out by helicopter, now so costly that only the best timber pays. Some people even leave felled trees to rot. "It makes me feel sorry for the trees." His son has taken over the forestry, but the work is busier than ever.
Drawn to cedar burls
A burl is a swelling a cedar grows to protect a wound, like a scab. "The grain is irregular and full of character, and it smells several times stronger than ordinary cedar. But burls are hard to work and have no commercial value. I'd bring them home whenever I found one, because it seemed a waste."
Then he fell seriously ill. "I thought I had one foot in the grave. But I pulled it out and came back," he laughs. Recovered but afraid to exert himself, he bought a wood lathe, and his collection of burls, too fragile for large pieces, became pens. He studied finishing at a vocational school, built a website, joined the local business association, and slowly the pens gained attention. "We live here, so it's only right to use what's here."
Because the pens keep the burl's grain and scent, you feel them directly in your hand, and the cedar's natural oils give them more character with use. We loved them so much that we helped with the test-tube packaging and naming, to share them with more people.
How a pen is made
Mr. Morimoto does every step alone. Burls are cut, drilled and fitted with brass tubes. Because burls crack easily, upper and lower halves are made from separate pieces with closely matching grain. On the lathe, he shapes each pen bit by bit, checking with his fingertips, then sands it smooth with several grades of paper. A sealer closes the wood's pores for a clean, stain-resistant surface, followed by more sanding. A rough, square burl becomes a silky pen, almost like magic. Finally, the refill and fittings are pressed in. Names can be laser-engraved for a personal gift.
Out of love for Yoshino cedar
Who could have imagined that burls once thought worthless would become such beautiful pens? Only someone who has lived with and loved Yoshino cedar for so long. We hope these pens bring a moment of connection with nature to busy city lives. Our thanks to Mr. Morimoto.
