Written by: Jin Fujisaki / Published: 2026-02-23
In recent years, the "ink swamp" boom—collecting colorful bottled inks—has firmly taken root. However, every time you want to change ink colors, you have to disassemble your fountain pen, rinse it with water, and let it dry, which is an incredibly tedious chore. That's why "glass pens," which let you change colors simply by rinsing the nib in water, have grown in popularity. Yet they came with their own drawbacks: "The nib is stiff, and the writing feel is nothing like a fountain pen," and "If you drop one by accident, it shatters."
Throwing a stone into these waters is "hocoro," developed by Sailor, the long-established Japanese writing instrument manufacturer. The pen's concept is remarkably simple and groundbreaking: it's a new kind of "dip pen" that mounts a "genuine fountain pen stainless steel nib" onto a lightweight plastic body. With this single pen, you can enjoy both the easy color-switching of a glass pen and the supple writing feel that's unique to a fountain pen.
| Overwhelming Speed: Just Rinse With Water and Wipe With a Tissue
image Sailor Pen
How to use it is astonishingly simple. Just dip the nib into a bottle of ink with a little "plop," and write directly on the paper. When you want to switch ink colors, lightly rinse the nib in a beaker or cup of water, quickly dab off the moisture with a tissue, and in just a few seconds you're ready to use the next color.
Because there are no complex internal structures for channeling ink (such as converters or feeds), you never have to worry about colors mixing. Whether you want to use multiple ink colors to decorate your planner or create swatches for newly purchased inks, hocoro's mobility is unmatched in its strength.
| The Peace of Mind of Portability, and a Reliable "Reservoir"
image Sailor Pen
hocoro's strengths aren't limited to ease of maintenance. By smoothly pulling the nib out of the body and inserting it back in reversed, you can store (and protect) the nib inside the body itself. The peace of mind of being able to "toss it into a pen case and casually take it out with you"—something absolutely impossible with a glass pen—is an immeasurable benefit for users who enjoy planner time at cafés and similar spots.
To compensate for the typical weakness that "dip pens can only write a small amount at a time," there's another point you can't overlook: a small plastic part called a "reservoir" (ink holder) that can be attached to the back of the nib. This dramatically improves ink retention, allowing you to write roughly a postcard's worth of text without interruption from a single dip.
| A Wide Range of Nibs Expands Your Expressive Freedom
image Pen House
The rich variety of nibs (replacement nibs) is another strength only Sailor can offer. From "fine" nibs perfect for planner writing, to "1.0mm width" and "2.0mm width (for calligraphy)" nibs that let you fully enjoy ink shading and shimmer, and even "brush-style" nibs that allow you to control line thickness like a brush, you can simply buy and swap out the nib to suit your purpose.
Customize the nib to match your mood that day, or to fit the characteristics of the ink you want to use. hocoro transcends the boundaries of a mere writing instrument and is perfected as the "ultimate tool" for playing with ink as an artistic medium to its fullest.
| Summary: A Stress-Free World of Color Starting at ¥1,485
image Sailor Pen
The price for the basic model, which includes the body and nib as a set, starts at ¥1,485 including tax (*prices vary depending on the type of nib). Replacement nibs alone can be purchased for just a few hundred yen, so it's very reasonable even if you collect several different widths.
"I love ink, but fountain pen maintenance is such a hassle that I've stopped using mine." If you have dormant ink bottles lying in your drawer because of feelings like that, pick up a hocoro right now. The lightness of rinsing with water and moving on to the next color is sure to make your ink life vivid once again—and to gently coax a "hocoro" (a soft smile) back to your face.
