Wancher Matcha Fountain Pen Review: Two Pens, 18K and 14K

The Matcha fountain pen comes from Wancher, a pen maker based in Bungotakada, Oita Prefecture. Search for "Wancher Matcha" and you will actually find two different pens: an 18K-nib version sold through the Japanese official store, and a 14K-nib version sold through the international store. We lined up both official product pages to sort out how they differ.

Who is Wancher?

According to the company history on its official site, founder Taizo Okagaki was doing desert-greening research in Egypt for Japan's ODA in 1990 when he conceived the idea of a fountain pen "useful under any circumstances." In 2000 he started a stationery company that sold other makers' pens, and in 2011 he renamed it Wancher and turned it into a pen brand in its own right. Wancher is also known for its many limited-colour pens made with Sailor.

Part of the Chanoyu series

The Matcha belongs to Wancher's Chanoyu (tea ceremony) series, and the official store files it under its Sailor collaborations. The green of the barrel and cap is the colour of finely whisked matcha foam. According to Wancher, the ivory finials and section represent a matcha tea bowl, with the milky white of an ash glaze.

18K vs 14K: what changes

Both have a PMMA resin body, take cartridges or a converter, and use a plastic feed. The "PG" and "PGS" in the part numbers read like Sailor's Professional Gear and Professional Gear Slim, but the official pages do not state the base model. The 14K international version is new: its product page was only created in August 2026.

The Shogun nib and the Kodachi grind

Wancher calls its own 18K nib the "Shogun nib" and lists the Matcha among the pens that use it. Both versions come in five widths: EF, F, MF, M and B.

For F, M and B only, you can also order a custom Kodachi grind. In Japan it costs an extra ¥14,300 (tax incl.) and takes about 4 to 7 weeks. Wancher's nib guide attributes the grind to "Master Nagahara" but does not give a full name. The international page adds that the grind starts from a nib one size broader, so the width stamped on the nib may differ from the finished width.

What to check before you buy

• Both are called Matcha, but nib gold content, length and weight differ
• When buying used or from overseas, check the part number prefix (SLPG or PGS) and the nib stamp
• With a Kodachi grind, the stamped width and the actual line width may not match

We found no substantial source on how the pen writes beyond Wancher's own description, so we have not assessed it here. PencilDB lists the eight part numbers of the Japan version.

• Wancher Matcha Fountain Pen (PencilDB)
• Matcha fountain pen (Wancher Japan)
• Matcha 14K Fountain Pen (Wancher International)
• Our Story (Wancher company history)