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Banuken, a shop specializing in inkstones and antiques, sits on a side street off Suzuran-dori. Its owner, Keigo Manba, first saw a Duanxi inkstone carved from the prized “Shuigan” stone in Izumozaki, Niigata, when he was 18; at 37 he left his office job and has been collecting inkstones ever since. Photographer ELLI visited this owner, also known as a scholar and connoisseur of the calligraphy of the Zen monk Ryokan, and was allowed to grind ink herself. (Hon no Machi, February 2026 issue, “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” #9)
Whether it’s clothes or a watch, I only want to own the real thing.
The town walks of photographer ELLI, now “a little over six months since her Jimbocho debut.” This time she interviewed Keigo Manba, owner of Banuken, a specialist in inkstones and antiques in Kanda-Jimbocho.
Fifty years in love with genuine inkstones and calligraphy
The shop: a hidden gem off Suzuran-dori
The shop’s treasures: Duanxi inkstones, and grinding ink yourself
How smooth and soft it was — a feeling I had never experienced. I ground ink every week in calligraphy class in elementary school, but this was something else entirely.
The owner: one inkstone seen at 18
At 18, just out of high school in his native Niigata, he saw a certain inkstone in Izumozaki, a town facing the Sea of Japan — and was profoundly moved the moment he laid eyes on it.
It was a precious inkstone made from Shuigan stone, considered the finest of all the Duanxi stones of Guangdong Province, China. After high school he moved to Tokyo, and at 37 he quit his salaried job. Even when he could barely make ends meet, he borrowed from the bank to buy inkstones and made the rounds of antique dealers in China. In the more than 50 years since, Mr. Manba has also become known as a scholar and connoisseur of calligraphy, above all that of Ryokan.
His pursuit of beautiful things, of the very best quality, is free, pure and cool — like a rock ’n’ roller.
Shop information
▶Shop page (map and related articles)
Banuken (antique stationery and curios)
Address: 1-27 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3295-7116
Closed: Wednesdays
Nearest station: Jimbocho Station
▶View on Google Maps
*Address, phone and closing days are from the Hon no Machi member shop list (September 2026 issue). Hours and other details may change; please check with the shop before you visit.
Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks: all installments
▶See every installment and a map of the shops ELLI has visited on the series page
◀Previous: #8 Mamekobo
▶Next: #10 Asanoya
#1 Luncheon
#2 The Adirondack Café
#3 Hasebe
#4 Toyodaen & Daisen
#5 @Wonder
#6 Book House Cafe
#7 Kissa Hotaka
#8 Mamekobo
#9 Banuken (this article)
#10 Asanoya
#11 Yamagataya Paper Shop
#12 Kissa Poupée
#13 Ochanomizu Hotel Shoryukan
#14 Kanda Awahei
#15 Daiki Shoe Store
#16 Sakaiya Sports
#17 Fuji Record Sha
Eri Ito (ELLI)
Photographer. In Hon no Machi she writes the series “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks,” visiting a shop in Kanda, Ochanomizu or Jimbocho every month.
This article introduces installment 9 of “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” (photos and text by Eri Ito), published in the February 2026 issue (Vol. 10) of Hon no Machi, the community salon magazine of Kanda, Ochanomizu and Jimbocho.
▶Read the February 2026 issue of Hon no Machi (PDF, in Japanese)
Founded in 1980, Hon no Machi brings you the latest from Book Town every month, together with Jimbocho’s bookstores, publishers, cafés and galleries.
▶Back issues of our series are being published on our note page (in Japanese)
日本語で読む — Read this article in Japanese