Kitaboshi Cedar Pencils, HB, Set of 12

Kitaboshi Cedar Pencils are an homage to incense cedar, the preferred material for high-quality pencils since the early 20th century. This aromatic, reddish cedar is produced for pencil manufacturing almost exclusively in sustainably managed California forests. Since globalization made American lumber available overseas, the best manufacturers in Europe and Asia have generally used California incense cedar for their pencil slats.

The incense cedar used for Kitaboshi Cedar Pencils is of particularly high quality, with a lovely color and fine grain that vary slightly in each pencil. The leads are softer and darker than average—as is characteristic of Japanese graphite—making these pencils very satisfying to use.

This box of Kitaboshi Cedar Pencils comes with 12 unsharpened pencils in grade HB.

Made in Japan.

About Kitaboshi Pencil Co., Ltd.:

Manufacturing pencils in Tokyo since 1951, Kitaboshi is a fifth-generation company that celebrates the "charm and potential" of traditional wood-cased pencils.

Kitaboshi traces its roots to an early 20th century lumber processing company, which was the first supplier of domestically manufactured pencil slats. The family turned to manufacturing finished pencils during the midcentury boom in Japanese pencil production, and Kitaboshi Pencil has been making high-quality pencils ever since.