A Review of a Danitrio Takumi Momotaro
Not too long ago I posted a topic about how I first became interested in Asian arts and culture. One of the folktales I learned back then was the story of Momotaro or The Peach Boy.
The story goes like this.
An old man and old woman lived a meager life. The old man earned a living by collecting bamboo for others. They earned enough to get by but their life was empty. They had no children and the old woman knew how hard it was for her husband to climb the mountains and cut the hard bamboo then carry it back down the mountain and sell it. How much longer would he be able to keep it up and what would happen to them if he got sick or could no longer climb the mountain?
One day when her husband was off cutting bamboo she took the washing down to the stream. As she washed the clothes an enormous peach came floating down. What a treat that would be for her husband. She caught the peach and used her clothes basket to carry it home.
When her husband got back that evening he was surprised to see the peach, so big it covered half of their table, waiting. He got a knife but as he was about to cut it open the peach split open on its own and instead of a pit, there was a baby inside.
They named the child Momotaro. Momo is Peach in Japanese and Taro is an honorific for Eldest Son.
The boy was a happy child and the joy of their lives and soon he was old enough to start helping his father harvest bamboo as well as start a small garden where they grew their own food.
When he was around middle teenage years the area was suffering attack from Oni, demons, that lived on an island. Momo feared they would attack his family so he told his parents he would go and kill all the Oni. They feared for his life but he insisted so with their blessing he prepared to head off. His mother made a bag full of her special dumplings and rice cakes for him to take with him and he set off.
During the journey he acquired three companions, first a dog, then a monkey and finally a pheasant. After many adventures the four arrived at the Oni's Castle on the Island. The Pheasant flew over the wall and saw that the gate was held closed by a great bar. The Monkey climbed over the gate and lifted out the bar while the Dog pushed the great door open.
The four travelers then attacked the Oni's, Momotaro using his speed and sword, the Dog biting the Oni's legs, the Monkey clawing and scratching while the Pheasant flew at their faces pecking at their eyes. Soon all the Oni's were defeated and Momotaro and his friends gathered up all that the Oni's had stolen to return to the village. There was still enough left after all the stolen property was returned to provide a comfortable living for the old man and woman and Momotaro and his companions were celebrated as heroes.
That great Enabler hated by my Bank but loved by many fountain pen owners Bryant has had a Danitrio Takumi on his site for years that featured a Boy with Peaches and I had been watching it, hoping someone would buy it.
But they never did.
And I finally decided that the next pen I bought really would be the next to last pen I would EVER buy and so it made it's way to me.
The Takumi is the smallest currently made pen in their line up but still about the same size (but with a smaller nib) as the Montblanc 149. I already had one and loved the size so that was fortunate, AND the Peach Boy pen was available with a stub nib.
So... here is the Danitrio Takumi Momotaro created by Dento Kogei-shi Kosetsu (Tatsuya Todo).
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Originally Posted by Lady Onogaro
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