A , also known as a brush pen, is a cartridge-based

writing implement A writing implement or writing instrument is an object used to produce writing. Writing consists of different figures, lines, and or forms. Most of these items can be also used for other functions such as painting, drawing and technical drawing, ...

used in

East Asian calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

; it is, in essence, an

ink brush Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...

analogue to a

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument which uses a metal nib to apply a water-based ink to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeatedly dip the pen in an inkw ...

Overview

The Japanese manufacturing company Kuretake was the first to launch a brush pen in 1973,Kuretake fudepen
on Kuretake website then followed by

Pentel is a privately-held Japanese manufacturing company of stationery products. The name is a combination of the English words ''pen'' and ''tell'' (as in, telling a story). Pentel is also the inventor of non-permanent marker technology. Most Pentel ...

, which launched the "Pocket Brush" in 2010.Pentel pocket brush pen GFKP3BPA
- description and specifications on Jet Pens, 2010
on Cult Pens website The Pocket Brush used replaceable waterproofReview: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
by Teoh Yi Chie, 28 December 2014 ink cartridges like

s.Pentel Pocket Brush Pen: A Comprehensive Guide
4 June 2019 on Jet Pens No other brush pens were launched in the intervening 37 years. Fudepens (designed and recommended for

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

) have also gained popularity among

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

artists, who choose them to ink their works instead of

dip pen A dip pen or nib pen or pen nib usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and pla ...

s or traditional

brushes A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...

. One of those artists using Pentel was the American comic book artist

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...

. Another two Japanese brands,

Sakura A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of Prunus, genus ''Prunus'' or Prunus subg. Cerasus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especia ...

and

Tombow is a private Japanese manufacturing company of stationery products. The company was founded in 1913 as Messrs "Tombow" and has since grown into an international business. Based in Tokyo with 397 employees. Tombow also has two overseas productio ...

,Dual brush pen
on Tombow website manufacture and sell brush-tip markers, named "brush pens" by themselves, although unlike Pentel or Kuretake products, Sakura's and Tombow's don't use the same type of ink and do not use refillable cartridges.

References

{{authority control East Asian calligraphy Japanese inventions writing implements