Athena the Pen by Maruzen.

June 18, 2006

We headed out to the mall today, and my baby Lucien refused to be still in his stroller, and insisted that mommy must bear his full weight for four straight hours or he would cry and cry and cry, whilst his aunt and grandmother combed through clothing boutiques and hardware stores.

He finally let me take a break, and sent me off with a sweet milky smile, waving from his grandmother's arms as if he hadn't been out of sorts the entire afternoon. It was our first time at that mall, in downtown Manila near the tourist district, and the place was fairly crowded. I spotted a full suit of Japanese armor in a shop window. This was a shock. (Normally one only finds scantily-clad mannequins and row upon row of Havaiana knockoffs.) I ventured inside: it was stuffed with Japanese antiques. I assume a lot of them are relics of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, but it could also be one person's eclectic collection. Inros, and tsubas, letter boxes, tortoiseshell hair combs with various inlays, pipe accessories and knives and... one pen.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/athenathepen1.jpg

I googled "Athena the Pen" and apparently, the Maruzen company reissued a limited edition in 2002. That's pretty much all I know about it, plus I emailed Stan and he said he thought it could only be found on the Ginza in Tokyo.

It's missing a cap band. The imprint is faint, but I can make it out.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/athenaimprint.jpg

The nib is flexible, and looks almost like a dip pen nib to me.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/athenanib.jpg

Of course Lucien decided to be a total angel all the way home.

May 28, 2012

I have a "Athena the Pen" by the Maruzen Co LTD made in Japan that I believe my grandfather acquired sometime during or just after World War II. I found it in a box of his WWII photographs, dog tags, and other memorabilia. When I get some time I can post a few pics. It's not in working order - at a minimum the nib needs to be adjusted. I was thinking about taking it in for service to see if it could be brought back to life.