are small personal smoking-pipe-shaped writing sets from medieval Japan which provided a carrying box for the ink cotton, and a shaft for a brush (and possibly a letter opener). Usage literally means "quiver". The name comes from the practice of early who kept ink stones inside their quivers. Japanese writing was traditionally done using the writing set inspired from China: an inking stone, a small stick of solid ink () (which is turned to usable liquid ink by grinding on the inking stone and watering), and brushes. The complete set was easily portable and took time to prepare the materials for writing. During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the idea of ink-saturated cotton was developed. By touching a calligraphy brush to the cotton, one could ink the bristles with reduced risk of dripping or spilling ink. By enclosing the cotton in a little box (), a writing set was made convenient and portable. The first were long boxes, with the ink compartment in the axis of the pen. The "smoking pipe" shape was designed to increase the quantity of available ink. In the late Edo period, another design was developed, with the ink box attached to the pen shaft by a chain; the ink box was used as a to fix the to the belt, while other were simply tucked behind the belt like a fan. As only members of the samurai caste were permitted to carry katana, some were designed to be used for self-defense. Some late were made of a special alloy of gold and copper called , specifically designed to turn purple-black over time, and give the its finish. See also List of pen types, brands and companies Notes External links Writing implements Japanese tools Japanese words and phrases