Hi everyone!
After some time I’ve gotten quite excited about MPs again, and the reason is simple: I’ve grown to like the Japanese handmade/wooden MPs a lot, so I’ve been exploring that world for a bit. These pencils tend to be built like a tank, have crisp clicking sounds, no rattle and an overall sturdyness that makes them very pleasant to use.
There’s no information at all about these artisans in English, so I thought about making a series of posts about each of them, their models and a bit of history. If you like this kind of post, definitely drop a 
below so I keep going with other brands!
About the maker
Akira Tsuda has his workshop in Hyogo prefecture. His online presence starts from 2017, but we know that he has been making pens for at least 17 years. L During this time he has become one of the top artisans in the scene.
Website: https://crafta840129.thebase.in/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akira.tsuda/
Models
He makes ballpens and other products as well, but focusing on mechanical pencils, he has three models: 201, 202 and 203.
Model 201
Model 202
Model 203
Many different woods are used. He doesn’t have a regular list of woods which he uses + limited edition runs, although prices vary depending on the rarity of the wood. You can check the website to see more designs.
Rarity
Buying his pens through his website is virtually impossible. You can monitor his twitter or website and buy then, but I wouldn’t count on it. Buying through mercari is the standard way. His pencils tend to sell for a small premium there, although it’s not a crazy markup.
There’s a few shops which store his pens. One of them is the Hands @ Nagoya station. Here is where I got my model 202.
Internals
I’ll update sometime with photos of the internals of the one I have, but for now some official info.
https://x.com/_Craft_A/status/1443516720157577217
You’ll notice that the clip for the model 202, the tear-shaped clip, is also the one used in many other handmade pencils. This is because the manufacturing method used here (metal stamping) requires creating custom dies for new design, which cost a minimum of 6000€ just for the die. This means that small manufacturers can’t afford to make them.
Typically, people that are just starting out use all out of the shelf OEM parts. Those who have established have custom designs for their tips, grips and knocks. This is the case for Craft A, who has everything but the clip custom made. Then only a few can afford custom clips, thay would be the case of Nohara Kougei.
Personal opinion
I really like the designs and his wood choices tend to be interesting and tasteful. I have one model 202 in ebony burl and I’d like to get a 201 sometime! He is able to manufacture a good quantity of pencils so that keeps secondary market prices restrained. As long as that keeps being the case and the pencils remain in the 7000-15000 JPY range, it’s a very good purchase.
