The fudepen was invented by
Sailor Fountain Pen Co. Ltd. in 1972, Meanwhile,
Pentel, the original manufacturer of felt-tip pens, introduced their own fudepen in 1976, and became one of the earliest brands to adopt proper nylon bristles. Pentel would introduce the 'Pocket Brush' in 2010 as a pocket-safe alternative to their beloved fudepen. The 'Pocket Brush' used replaceable waterproof ink cartridges in a similar vein to
fountain pens. The size of the 'Pocket Brush' eventually became the de-facto standard for all fudepens that followed it. Fudepens (designed and recommended for
calligraphy) have also gained popularity among
comic book artists, who choose them to ink their works instead of
dip pens or traditional
brushes. One of those artists using a fudepen (specifically a Pentel one) was the American comic book artist
Neal Adams. Another two Japanese brands,
Sakura and
Tombow, manufacture and sell brush-tip
markers, named "brush pens" by themselves, although unlike Pentel or Kuretake products, Sakura's and Tombow's don't use the same type of ink and do not use refillable cartridges. ==References==