Kakuno Fountain Pen Madoromi Light Blue F Nib

kakuno is Pilot's entry-level Japanese fountain pen, designed so a first fountain pen feels easy rather than precious, and the Madoromi Color line dresses it in a pale, hazy sky blue — one of five muted shades named after a drowsy, half-asleep sky — with a gold-tone nib in place of the usual bright steel. The section is triangular, so thumb, index and middle finger settle into the correct grip on their own, the faceted cap and barrel keep the pen from rolling off a sloped desk, and the special-alloy nib is stamped with kakuno's trademark smiling face so you can see at a glance which side is up. Barrel and cap are molded in recycled resin, and the pen measures 131mm long with a maximum diameter of 15.2mm. This one carries the fine (F) nib, the everyday width for notebooks, diaries and daily journaling. Filling is flexible: it accepts Pilot IRF-5S cartridges in ten ink colors, or a CON-40 converter for bottled ink such as Pilot Iroshizuku. Both Madoromi widths, F and M, are offered in all five colors. Made in Japan by Pilot Corporation.

1. Unscrew the barrel, push a Pilot IRF-5S cartridge firmly onto the metal nipple until it seats and the seal breaks, then screw the barrel back on.
2. To fill from a bottle instead, fit a Pilot CON-40 converter, submerge the whole nib and grip in ink, and twist or press to draw ink up.
3. Hold the pen so the smiling face on the nib points up, and write with almost no pressure — the ink flows on its own.
4. Cap the pen after every session and store it nib up so ink does not dry in the feed.
5. When changing ink colors, flush the nib and feed in cool water until it runs clear, then let the parts dry fully before refilling.