Fountain Pen Found In Japanese Shipwreck

[darhubsch]

Hello,

 

I'm a scuba diving instructor working on a liveaboard cruise ship operating in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia. We dive on Japanese shipwrecks sunk during WW2. A few months ago I discovered a fountain pen inside the crew quarters of one of the ships. It's made of a hard plastic and has the inscription

"The Seito"

Aoshima Manufacturing Co

Made in Tokyo, Japan

 

I know this is a fairly esoteric post but I wondered if any if the forumgoers here would have any knowledge of the production of this particular item. Thanks! I can provide pictures if anyone is interested.

 

Dar

[cattar]

Yes, we want pictures!

I think you have to make a few more posts before you can upload, but maybe you could link to imgur.

[darhubsch]

Maybe a mod can allow me to upload pics?

[cattar]

Doesn't work that way. You've gotta have 12 posts or 25 posts or some number I don't remember.

Looking forward to seeing pics sometime.

 

Meanwhile someone may come along who knows something about that pen.

[MHBru]

Can posting rep!ies and simple comments on other threads get you to the minimum required quickly?

[cattar]

Pen or ink threads, yes.

Chatter threads, no.

 

Darhubsch could tell us more about the pen.

Approximate length, width. Is the pen open or capped, covered in anemones or corals. How was it found?

[darhubsch]

Okay here is a link to a photo

https://imgur.com/a/QpHhKh0

 

Its open, i didnt find a cap although it should have one. It was buried in the silt so it required very little cleaning. Its a dark brown almost tortoiseshell color although it appears black.

[Karmachanic]

Not much but it's a start. Aoshima mentioned here: look at "Jewel"

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/52513-pen-manufacturers-current-and-past/

[SoulSamurai]

Wow, that is in very good condition considering! Did you pull there nib or wasn't there one?

Edited May 17, 2018 by SoulSamurai

[Mech-for-i]

Well, I am no historian on this matter, but " the Seito " as in-scripted on the barrel is likely the name of this particular model or a personalizing of sort as " SEITO" in Japanese can mean a number of different one depending on the phonetics utilized and intent. Its most likely one of either "生徒" which literally mean student ; or "聖徳" which refer to a historical figure in Japan ( circa 5th/6th century AD ). I would wager its more likely the former. There are other meaning that can attach to the "SEITO" part but I doubt they relay , say it can refer to a particular geographical locale but as far as I know that locale was not even named so when this pen was manufactured. Or it can be a phonetics to a certain name / person which I personally do not think apply as the " the " part of the inscription pretty much void that.

 

The Aoshima Co. part is pretty clear , its manufactured or at least marketed by that company though its likely having nothing to do with todays Aoshima Co. ( Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co., Ltd ) even though the company do actually operate even in those old days and indeed do actually had business in school supply ( however that happen after the war , during and before the war their business is in model aircraft and they still do today ) . Mind that Aoshima is pretty common name used in Japan so it might just be any small independent business and likely so considering the period norm then in Japan.

 

One other thing though, not to do with the pen but with the action of retrieving the pen part, AFAIK, most of these shipwreck are considered war grave and any item are suppose to stay there. Is it actually legal to salvage item in the said fashion .. I had to question. I sincerely suggest you made an inquiry into said matter regarding whether its proper to actually doing so and if its not, might be its better to return the item to its rightful resting place.

Edited May 17, 2018 by Mech-for-i

[darhubsch]

Thank you for contributing Mech-for-I. I came to the same conclusions about the meaning of the inscription, although I wonder if Aoshima was manufacturing school supplies if this pen design may have been intended for use in schools? That would be a nice connection with the name.

 

You are right to question the propriety of removing items from the wrecks, as they are indeed war graves. However that's a very different discussion and not the one I'm interested in having here.

[sidthecat]

It is a testament to the durability of the product, although I believe the ballpoint pen helped the Allies win the war.

[Tweel]

Not much but it's a start. Aoshima mentioned here: look at "Jewel"

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/52513-pen-manufacturers-current-and-past/

 

As that entry mentions, it looks like an eyedropper with a shutoff valve, made of ebonite. It looks like it got a lot of use, posted, judging by the cap scars on each end.

[Karmachanic]

 

As that entry mentions, it looks like an eyedropper with a shutoff valve, made of ebonite. It looks like it got a lot of use, posted, judging by the cap scars on each end.

 

Yes. And manufactured in the 50's. So it looks like it found it's watery repose subsequent to the demise of the vessel in which it was found.

[Tseg]

 

Yes. And manufactured in the 50's. So it looks like it found it's watery repose subsequent to the demise of the vessel in which it was found.

 

Agreed. 'Made in Japan' in English I thought did not emerge until after WWII, in the 50's.

[darhubsch]

It would be pretty difficult to imagine a scenario where a 1950s era pen gets left behind on a ship sunk in 1944. What are the odds that you guys are mistaken about when it was made? What are you basing that assumption off, the design or just that mention of a company called Aoshima manufacturing similar pens in the 50s?

 

There's many instances of things on the wrecks that have English script on them, even if they were produced in Japan. Telegraphs and engine build stamps to name a few.

[praxim]

You are right to question the propriety of removing items from the wrecks, as they are indeed war graves. However that's a very different discussion and not the one I'm interested in having here.

Whether or not one is interested or would be permitted by moderators to have such a discussion, the facts remain the same,

 

Perhaps you should hope it is a 50s pen after all.

 

edit:typo

Edited May 18, 2018 by praxim

[Karmachanic]

It would be pretty difficult to imagine a scenario where a 1950s era pen gets left behind on a ship sunk in 1944. What are the odds that you guys are mistaken about when it was made? What are you basing that assumption off, the design or just that mention of a company called Aoshima manufacturing similar pens in the 50s?

 

There's many instances of things on the wrecks that have English script on them, even if they were produced in Japan. Telegraphs and engine build stamps to name a few.

 

Having spent quite some time in a tropical tourist destination I don't find it difficult at all. Fr'instance. Sometime between 1960 and 2005 a person on a pleasure craft in a famous tourist destination drops their pen. Oooopps! Tides, currents move the water/silt. Diver finds it. Not at all unusual.

 

If it was found inside a locker - differrent story.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Karmachanic

[darhubsch]

Different story indeed. I don't think recreational divers would have been visiting this wreck until the late 60s, and it's just difficult to imagine a scenario where someone drops their vintage pen inside the wreck. Impossible? Of course not. But more likely than the pen being produced before the sinking? That's the question.

[Carrau]

Also not impossible that a diver deliberately placed a post WWII object on a wreck to create just such a dilemma for the next diver (compared to Piltdown Man, carrying and placing a pen would have been very easy). Another possibility would be that the wreck in question occurred after the War, although this would seem more verifiable based on the nature of the wreck (warship vs cargo, battle damage), and records of wrecks in the area post WWII. Im not saying that any one of these is the answer, but that one has to consider all possibilities, and the theory should fit the facts.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Herrjaeger