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 () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

; it is, in essence, a cross between an

ink brush A Chinese writing brush () is a paintbrush used as a writing tool in Chinese calligraphy as well as in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese which all have roots in Chinese calligraphy. They are also used in Chinese painting and other brush pain ...

and a

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply Fountain pen ink, water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal r ...

.Pentel pocket brush pen GFKP3BPA
- description and specifications on Jet Pens, 2010
on Cult Pens website

Overview

The fudepen was invented by Sailor Fountain Pen Co. Ltd. in 1972, but Kuretake Co. Ltd. made it commercially successful with their release in 1973. Kuretake developed their fudepen through the application of felt-tip pen technology, after plans to export felt-tip pens were disrupted by the sudden appreciation of

Japanese Yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. Th ...

due to the Nixon Shock. Meanwhile,

Pentel is a privately-held Japanese manufacturing company of stationery products. The name comes from one of their first widely known products and is a portmanteau of the English words ''pen'' and ''pastel''. Pentel is also the inventor of non-perma ...

, the original manufacturer of felt-tip pens, introduced their own fudepen in 1976, and became one of the earliest brands to adopt proper nylon bristles. Pentel would introduce the 'Pocket Brush' in 2010 as a pocket-safe alternative to their beloved fudepen. The 'Pocket Brush' used replaceable waterproof ink cartridges in a similar vein to fountain pens. The size of the 'Pocket Brush' eventually became the de-facto standard for all fudepens that followed it. Fudepens (designed and recommended for

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

) have also gained popularity among

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

artists, who choose them to ink their works instead of

dip pen A dip pen is a writing instrument used to apply ink to paper. It usually consists of a metal nib (pen), nib with a central slit that acts as a capillary action, capillary channel like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, ofte ...

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 during u ...

. One of those artists using a fudepen (specifically a Pentel one) 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 Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

. Another two Japanese brands,

Sakura The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

and Tombow,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

East Asian calligraphy Japanese inventions writing implements {{calligraphy-stub