The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early, Now-Rare Short Stories, Published as a Bunko Book on June 10, 2026 by Kobunsha
Key facts
- The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early, Now-Rare Short Stories, Published as a Bunko Book on June 10, 2026 by Kobunsha
- Kobunsha will publish 'The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early Short Stories' on June 10, 2026, for 858 yen. This bunko book collects nine short stories and two bonus pieces written during the first decade of Sato's career, all penned with a fountain pen and now difficult to find.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 10, 2026
Direct answer
Kobunsha will publish 'The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early Short Stories' on June 10, 2026, for 858 yen. This bunko book collects nine short stories and two bonus pieces written during the first decade of Sato's career, all penned with a fountain pen and now difficult to find.
- Citation
- The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early, Now-Rare Short Stories, Published as a Bunko Book on June 10, 2026 by Kobunsha (June 10, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 10, 2026
Kobunsha will publish 'The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early Short Stories' on June 10, 2026, for 858 yen. This bunko book collects nine short stories and two bonus pieces written during the first decade of Sato's career, all penned with a fountain pen and now difficult to find.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 10, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: June 10, 2026 at 12:21
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 10, 2026 at 19:35 (7h 14m after Collected)
A novelist writes novels with a fountain pen.
There was a young man who dreamed of filling the squares of manuscript paper with a Montblanc masterpiece, now called the Meisterstück.
He wrote his novel on Kokuyo 400-character manuscript paper with a Pilot fountain pen.
His debut contest entry, far exceeding the 250-page limit at about 700 pages, was titled 'Women Ride on Brooms' and was sent to a Tokyo publisher in an empty castella cake box.
After winning the contest with that work (retitled 'Eternal Half'), the young man received a Montblanc Meisterstück as a birthday gift from the mama of a snack bar he frequented.
He continued to fill the squares, staining his pinky and the manuscript paper with blue-black ink.
That young man will turn 71 this August. Having moved through the era of word processors, he now weaves stories on an iMac and MacBook, quietly watched over by six Montblanc Meisterstücks in a pen stand.
The collection includes 'Rain in Spain,' about a 27-year-old man who frequents telephone clubs and meets a married woman; 'Blue Umbrella,' his first professionally paid work; 'Trembling Woman,' contributed to the collaborative 'Seventeen Grains of Aphrodisiac'; and the fan-favorite 'Roommate,' among nine stories and two bonus pieces.
This long-awaited volume gathers only the elusive early works from the first decade of his writing life, born from fountain pens—a Pilot and the dream Montblanc Meisterstück—now difficult to obtain.
The origin of writer Shogo Sato!
[Table of Contents]
The Day John Lennon Was Shot
Roommate
Incisor
On a Usual Morning
Condom Trouble
Trembling Woman
How to Make Eggnog
Rain in Spain
Blue Umbrella
Bonus: The Age of the Word Processor
Niratama A
Niratama B
Afterword
[Author Information]
Shogo Sato
Born in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1955. Debuted in 1983 by winning the 7th Subaru Literary Prize for 'Eternal Half.' Won the 6th Yamaoka Fūtarō Prize in 2015 for 'The Pigeon's Escape Method,' the 157th Naoki Prize in 2017 for 'The Phases of the Moon,' and the 20th Chuo Koron Literary Prize in 2025 for 'Ripe Persimmon,' which also placed second in the Japan Booksellers' Award. Major works include 'Y,' 'Jump,' '5,' 'Under Report,' 'Life Story,' 'Everything About Her,' 'Dance Hall,' and 'A Child is Born in Winter.'
[Book Details]
Title: 'The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early Short Stories'
Author: Shogo Sato
Publisher: Kobunsha
Release Date: Scheduled for June 10, 2026 (Wednesday)
*May be delayed in some regions due to distribution conditions.
Price: 858 yen (tax included)
Format: Bunko (paperback)
Purchase here:
Amazon
Rakuten Books
There was a young man who dreamed of filling the squares of manuscript paper with a Montblanc masterpiece, now called the Meisterstück.
He wrote his novel on Kokuyo 400-character manuscript paper with a Pilot fountain pen.
His debut contest entry, far exceeding the 250-page limit at about 700 pages, was titled 'Women Ride on Brooms' and was sent to a Tokyo publisher in an empty castella cake box.
After winning the contest with that work (retitled 'Eternal Half'), the young man received a Montblanc Meisterstück as a birthday gift from the mama of a snack bar he frequented.
He continued to fill the squares, staining his pinky and the manuscript paper with blue-black ink.
That young man will turn 71 this August. Having moved through the era of word processors, he now weaves stories on an iMac and MacBook, quietly watched over by six Montblanc Meisterstücks in a pen stand.
The collection includes 'Rain in Spain,' about a 27-year-old man who frequents telephone clubs and meets a married woman; 'Blue Umbrella,' his first professionally paid work; 'Trembling Woman,' contributed to the collaborative 'Seventeen Grains of Aphrodisiac'; and the fan-favorite 'Roommate,' among nine stories and two bonus pieces.
This long-awaited volume gathers only the elusive early works from the first decade of his writing life, born from fountain pens—a Pilot and the dream Montblanc Meisterstück—now difficult to obtain.
The origin of writer Shogo Sato!
[Table of Contents]
The Day John Lennon Was Shot
Roommate
Incisor
On a Usual Morning
Condom Trouble
Trembling Woman
How to Make Eggnog
Rain in Spain
Blue Umbrella
Bonus: The Age of the Word Processor
Niratama A
Niratama B
Afterword
[Author Information]
Shogo Sato
Born in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1955. Debuted in 1983 by winning the 7th Subaru Literary Prize for 'Eternal Half.' Won the 6th Yamaoka Fūtarō Prize in 2015 for 'The Pigeon's Escape Method,' the 157th Naoki Prize in 2017 for 'The Phases of the Moon,' and the 20th Chuo Koron Literary Prize in 2025 for 'Ripe Persimmon,' which also placed second in the Japan Booksellers' Award. Major works include 'Y,' 'Jump,' '5,' 'Under Report,' 'Life Story,' 'Everything About Her,' 'Dance Hall,' and 'A Child is Born in Winter.'
[Book Details]
Title: 'The Age of the Fountain Pen: A Collection of Shogo Sato's Early Short Stories'
Author: Shogo Sato
Publisher: Kobunsha
Release Date: Scheduled for June 10, 2026 (Wednesday)
*May be delayed in some regions due to distribution conditions.
Price: 858 yen (tax included)
Format: Bunko (paperback)
Purchase here:
Amazon
Rakuten Books
FAQ
Where can I buy this book?
You can purchase it at online bookstores like Amazon and Rakuten Books.
Are all the works in this collection from his early career?
Yes, it only includes works written during the first decade of his debut.
What awards has Shogo Sato won?
He has won the Naoki Prize, the Yamaoka Fūtarō Prize, and the Chuo Koron Literary Prize, among others.