How a market gets cult status achieved by mathematicians

For many mathematicians, writing on a blackboard is a form of artistry, one that requires the right tools.

“It would be like using Picasso Sharpies on a piece of waxed paper instead of an actual canvas and oil paint,” says Dave Bayer, a mathematics professor at Barnard College in New York City.

It is the best kept secret of mathematics

And among the academic crowd, Hagoromo Fulltouch Chalk is the best kept secret of mathematics.

“It doesn’t break so easily, and the way it writes feels just fine,” Lieblich says.

“It’s like skis with powder,” Bayer says.

“The legend about this lime is that it is impossible to write a false statement with the lime, but I think I have rejected that many times,” says David Eisenbud, a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Hagoromo Stationery first began producing lime in Japan in 1932, but it was not until the last few decades that American mathematicians fell in love with it.

“I discovered it when I visited the University of Tokyo years ago and one of the professors there … said to me, ‘You know, we actually have better lime than you in the States,'” Eisenbud said. “I said, ‘Oh, go on, chalk is lime … I was surprised to find him right.'”

Since the market did not import into the United States, mathematicians took part in ordering boxes online, or through designated “chalk dealers” who began making a business by supplying the lime to professors.

“Hagoromo certainly has a cult following, but that cult can be almost any mathematician at this point. That it’s a pretty big cult,” says Wei Ho, a professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan.

The secret formula remains a mystery

So, what’s the secret sauce? Well, the formula is still a mystery, but everyone has their own hypotheses.

“I assume the special ingredient in Hagoromo is gelled,” says Lieblich.

“Someone told me it has in the compositions of mice. I do not know if that is true,” says Eisenbud.

Whatever it is, it was enough to make a deep dedication among its users. The relationship between a mathematician and a blackboard is long.

As Lieblich explains: “the board is like a window into the inner workings of the subject, so going to the board is like going to the magic window … but the only way you can really see what happens is when someone with writes lime. “

The tradition of black seems to be too popular among mathematics professors. Bayer describes it as a “tactile … romantic connection”, one that goes back to generations of mathematicians who came before it.

“You know, people read about Archimedes drawing in the sand … but I would not be surprised if there was also something like lime and a blackboard,” Eisenbud said.

When the company went out of business, chalk chaos ensued

But blackboards risk dying because of college administrators who prefer whiteboards to newer technology, such as interactive whiteboards, also called smart boards.

“The thought of giving up blackboards makes me feel very sad inside, I will not lie,” says Lieblich. “It’s not like losing a limb, but it would make the texture of life very different.”

With the loss of blackboards comes the loss of demand for chalk.

“It’s pretty much 6-year-olds and mathematicians,” Conrad says. “And that’s it, so we’re the last ones left.”

“I called it a limestone apocalypse,” Conrad said. In a panic, mathematicians across the United States began to deposit resources in preparation.

“I calculated how many boxes I would need in 10 to 15 years and I bought that many boxes,” says Lieblich.

Dave Bayer took things even further. “I bought the rest of the Amazon offer in the middle of the night,” he said.

“I have a closet full at home,” Eisenbud says. “It’s hard to say how long it would take me, but I think at least 10 years of my current rate of use.”

And how expensive is Hagoromo exactly? Depending on your idea of ​​”expensive.”

“Compared to caviar, it’s cheap,” says Lieblich. “And it’s much more personal to me, personally, than caviar.”

At market price, a box of 72 sticks of Hagoromo went for $ 17, but during the rush there were reports from some dealers that the prices increase to almost $ 25 a box. Production ended on March 31, 2015.

A Korean teacher rescues Hagoromo’s legacy from being erased

But while American mathematicians maintained the Hagoromo, on the other side of the world, a teacher in Korea took a different approach. Shin Hyeong-seok first came across Hagoromo during a research trip to Japan, and his world was rocked forever.

“It was great,” Shin recalls. “It was so much softer than the usual chalk we used in Korea.”

He brought a few boxes back to Korea and even tried to find his own way to produce the lime, without luck. That, he used to import the lime from Japan itself.

That proved to be challenging in its own ways. Hagoromo was a third generation family business. In order to develop an import relationship with the company, Shin first had to win the affidavits of Hagoromo’s president, Takayasu Watanabe.

“His second daughter came to Korea as an exchange student and was very fond of Korea,” says Shin of Watanabe’s daughter. “Mr. Watanabe and his wife would visit Korea several times a year to eat Korean food and do sightseeing … So, when I approached him and said I wanted to import the lime from Japan, he welcomed it. idea. “

But Hagoromo’s president was skeptical about Shin’s proposal

They formed a business relationship that spanned more than a decade. Then, in 2014, Watanabe was diagnosed with cancer. Because all of his own children had their own careers, Watanabe was afraid he would have to close the business. That Shin left out his own suggestion: What if he brought the technology to Korea and just kept getting Hagoromo himself? Watanabe was skeptical.

“He was really trying to stop me,” says Shin of Watanabe. “He said, ‘You are a teacher with no experience in manufacturing … you should not take this decision lightly.'”

Eventually, Shin defeated him.

“I told him I believe Hagoromo is the best crayon in the world,” Shin said. “There are products that are bound to disappear as times change, but the best quality product should be the last to disappear.”

In doing so, Shin proposed to take over 16 shipping containers worth of machinery from Japan to Korea. He invested his savings in learning, replicating and perfecting the Hagoromo processes – all in the name of chalk. Watanabe even visited the factory in Korea, in his wheelchair, to check the quality of the new bits of lime. The time and investment all paid off.

Thanks to Shin, Hagoromo continues to be produced today

“A student of mine from South Korea made a trip home and came back with a box … it was indistinguishable,” Conrad said. “And a Japanese colleague of mine who is a big fan of the goods. I gave him a piece of each type, the old type and the new type, and he could not tell the difference. Distinguished, just as good as ever. . “

So, what about the mathematicians and their predecessors?

“It was mixed emotions,” Lieblich says. “I was happy to know it would still be made. I was a little disappointed that I was less smart than I thought I was.”

“Obviously, it’s better for the community, for the fraction of the community that loves this lime, for this lime to still be produced,” he said.

“There’s incredible value to it here, but the value is to use it and not keep it,” Bayer says.

Earlier this year, on July 31, Takayasu Watanabe died in Japan. Thanks to Shin, his critter legacy will live on.

“It is said that there are teachers who have never used the lime, but there are no teachers who have used it only once,” says Shin.

And the mathematicians who love lime continue their love affair.

“I feel like a craftsman when I use the lime,” Bayer says. “But it’s nothing compared to my admiration for the craftsmanship that went into making the lime.”