Is Japan’s combination personal cat stamp/pen/mechanical pencil the best writing instrument ever?

Keep your personal seal handy with this adorable and convenient twist on the traditional hank stamp.

Last month, we took a moment to ooh and aah over Nekozukan, a new line of hanko (the personal stamps used to authorize documents in Japan in place of a signature) featuring adorable illustrated kitties next to your name. However, depending on your lifestyle, you might not have need of a dedicated hanko often enough to keep one of the pinky-sized cylinders in arm’s reach. If so, maybe what you need is this more versatile combination pen/mechanical pencil with a built-in cat hanko holder at the end.

Produced by online hanko retailer Hankozu, the Nekozukan Name Pen Type makes use of the company’s special hanko stubs. The stub slides into the non-writing end of the pen, so a quick flip of the instrument allows you to open the cap and stamp away with your kitty hanko.

▼ Note: There are actually seven, not eight, steps for installing the hanko stub, although we assume most users will, once finished, choose to look at a cute cat.

The pen itself comes in four different colors: matte black, blue, orange, and champagne gold, which just sounds so much more mature and sophisticated than “apple cider gold” would.

With 16 different illustrated cats to choose from, you might have trouble fixing upon a favorite feline…

…but thankfully, you don’t actually have to. While the pen comes bundled with one hanko stub for 6,500 yen (US$54), the stubs are removable, which means you can order others for 2,000 yen each, then rotate them in or out at your discretion.

▼ Removing the stub

Aside from choosing which illustration you want, you can further customize the hanko by choosing from one of eight different fonts.

You can also pick from one of six colors for the pen’s ink: orange, red, black, blue, green, or purple. As a final personalized touch, a name, up to eight letters in length, can be emblazoned on the pen.

▼ Hankozu says it’s totally OK with that name being either yours or your cat’s.

The Nekozukan Name Pen Type can be ordered through Rakuten here, and if you need an alternate hanko stub (or two, or three, or…) those can be ordered here.

Source: IT Media
Images: Rakuten/Hankozu (edited by RocketNews24)

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