--- title: "San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener, 2 Designs" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-two-way-pencil-sharpener/" description: "San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-way pencil sharpener: two holes for different leads, a lid, blue or lilac, ¥495 from the maker (about US$3.10), November 2026 release." category: "Accessories" type: "Pencil sharpener" published: 2026-11-04 updated: 2026-11-04 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 3 products: - name: "San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener (Puru Puru Shabon)" brand: "San-X" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" released: "2026-11" price_band: "$ (under $5 per item, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "San-X Co., Ltd." url: "https://www.san-x.co.jp/en/special/goods_2611_bungu/" --- # San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener, 2 Designs > The San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-way pencil sharpener is a lidded sharpener with two holes, one for softer and one for harder leads, in a blue or a lilac design from San-X's November 2026 Puru Puru Shabon line. San-X lists it at ¥495 (about US$3.10) including tax, in our $ band. No size is stated. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-two-way-pencil-sharpener/ - Category: Accessories - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-04 - Updated: 2026-11-04 ![San-X 2-way pencil sharpener drawn by eye in blue and lilac, plus a top view with the lid up showing two holes](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-two-way-pencil-sharpener-illustration-16x9.png?v=9306f168) *Blue and lilac designs, and the lid up to show two holes; drawn by eye, with no size from San-X.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener (Puru Puru Shabon) | San-X (by San-X Co., Ltd.) | Japan | Not stated | – | 2026-11 | $: under $5 per item | - Made in (San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener (Puru Puru Shabon)): Not stated. The page text and the photo we read give no country of origin for the sharpener. Check the packaging. Source: https://www.san-x.co.jp/en/special/goods_2611_bungu/ ### San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-Way Pencil Sharpener (Puru Puru Shabon) colors - Body colors (2 standard, 0 special edition): Blue design (Sky-blue lid over a clear pale blue body.); Lilac design (Lilac lid over a clear pale lilac-pink body.). - Per San-X Stationery Market page (product photo) (https://www.san-x.co.jp/en/special/goods_2611_bungu/), checked 2026-11-04. San-X shows two designs and gives no color names, so we call them by the lid's tint. Tints were sampled from the maker's photo; the clear body is drawn as a lighter tint of the lid. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - San-X lists each sharpener at ¥495 (about US$3.10, at 158 yen to the dollar) including tax, in our $ band (under $5). - It is called a 2-way type: San-X says it sharpens to suit the use, and its photo shows two holes under a flip-up lid. - There are 2 designs, a blue one and a lilac one, released in 2026/11 in the Puru Puru Shabon (bubble) theme. - The lid in San-X's photo is marked with soft lead and hard lead, but the page gives no hole sizes, point angles or blade material. - San-X states no size, weight or country of origin for the sharpener, so our drawing is by eye. ## What is the San-X Sumikko Gurashi 2-way pencil sharpener? **It is a small character pencil sharpener with two holes under a lid, from San-X's November 2026 stationery line.** San-X is the Japanese maker of the Sumikko Gurashi characters. Its Stationery Market page, filed under merchandise released in 2026/11, lists the sharpener beside an eraser, scissors, a ruler and stickers, all printed with the same bubble theme. We read the page on November 4, 2026. The theme name on the products reads Puru Puru Shabon. Our reading is "wobbly bubbles", from the Japanese words for a jiggle and a soap bubble; that is our translation, not San-X's. ## What does San-X say about it? **It gives the price, the number of designs and one feature: the 2-way type.** Everything else comes from what the photo shows. | Item | San-X page | |---|---| | Price | ¥495 (about US$3.10, at 158 yen to the dollar) each, tax included | | Designs | 2, blue and lilac | | Type | 2-way: sharpens to suit the use | | Holes | 2, under a flip-up lid (photo) | | Lid marking | Soft lead and hard lead (photo) | | Size, weight, blade material | Not stated | | Release | Listed under 2026/11; subject to change | | Price band ($ is under $5) | $ | The page's Japanese caption says the sharpener sharpens in a way that suits the purpose. The lid markings are our reading of small printed text in the photo, so check them on the product. ![A lilac San-X 2-way sharpener seen from above with its lid up, showing two round holes and the lid markings](https://stationerytimes.com/images/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-two-way-pencil-sharpener-two-holes.svg?v=365a89d2) *The two holes under the lid; the labels follow the maker's photo and nothing is to scale. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## How does a 2-way sharpener work? **Two holes let one sharpener cut two different points.** In the maker's photo the two openings look alike in size, and the lid is marked soft lead on one side and hard lead on the other. A soft lead, such as a 4B, breaks easily and usually wants a blunter point; a hard lead, such as a 2H, holds a sharper one. San-X does not say whether the holes cut different angles or the same one, so we do not claim a difference. Our guide to [how to sharpen a pencil](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/how-to-sharpen-a-pencil/) explains why point angle matters. ## Who is the 2-way sharpener for? **It suits someone who wants a cheap, lidded desk sharpener in a character design, because San-X lists it at ¥495 (about US$3.10) with two holes.** The maker's page introduces the line as items for enjoying the new school term. Skip it if you need a stated pencil diameter, a documented blade or a large shavings space for heavy use: none of those is published, and we have not tested one. We leave out "Good for" tags because the page gives no fact that meets our evidence rules. ## Which design should you choose? **Choose the lid color you like; the page gives both the same price and the same 2-way feature.** The blue design has a sky-blue lid on a pale blue body and the lilac design a lilac lid on a pale lilac-pink body. The characters on the body are printed artwork that we do not reproduce. If you also want an eraser and scissors in the same colors, see the [San-X Matomaru-kun eraser](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-matomaru-kun-eraser/) and the [San-X safety scissors](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/san-x-sumikko-gurashi-safety-scissors/). For a sharpener with documented point settings, compare the [CARL Angel-5 Classic](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/carl-angel-5-classic-sharpener/) or our [pencil sharpener roundup](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pencil-sharpeners/). ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **Not stated.** The page text and the photo give no country of origin for the sharpener, and we have not handled one. San-X lists ¥495 (about US$3.10) including tax, at 158 yen to the dollar, in our $ band (under $5). That is the maker's price in Japan on November 4, 2026. We did not check overseas sellers or shipping. ## Who is San-X? **San-X Co., Ltd. is a Japanese character-goods company that its own history page dates to 1932.** The page says it took the San-X name in 1973, introduced Rilakkuma in 2003 and Sumikko Gurashi in 2012. Its Japanese-language site is the only maker source we could read; its net shop did not open for us. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does 2-way mean on a pencil sharpener? On this San-X sharpener it means two holes under one lid. San-X says it sharpens to suit the use, and the lid in its photo is marked soft lead and hard lead. It gives no hole sizes. ### How much is the Sumikko Gurashi pencil sharpener? San-X lists ¥495 (about US$3.10) including tax per sharpener on its November 2026 page, at 158 yen to the dollar, in our $ band (under $5). Overseas sellers set their own prices. ### Does it have a lid and a shavings box? San-X's photo shows a lid that flips up over two holes on a box-shaped clear body. The page does not describe the shavings space or how it empties, so we cannot say how much it holds. ### Will it sharpen colored pencils? San-X's page does not say. It names only soft and hard leads on the lid, and states no pencil diameters, so check the size of your pencil against the holes before relying on it. ### How many designs does it come in? Two. San-X shows a blue-lidded sharpener and a lilac-lidded one, with the same bubble artwork on the clear body. The page gives no color names. ### How big is the San-X sharpener? San-X does not state a size or weight. Its photo shows a compact box that is taller than it is wide, but we do not give a figure, and our drawing is by eye. ### Can I buy it outside Japan? San-X's page points to Japanese shops and says online items, shipping and order rules may differ from stores. We could not open San-X's own net shop, so overseas availability is not confirmed. ## Sources - [San-X (official): Stationery Market page, November 2026 releases (sharpener, price, designs, 2-way description, photo; read November 4, 2026)](https://www.san-x.co.jp/en/special/goods_2611_bungu/) - [San-X (official): Sumikkogurashi character page (character debut dated September 2012; read November 4, 2026)](https://www.san-x.co.jp/en/characters/sumikkogurashi/) - [San-X (official, Japanese): company history (year-by-year, Japanese; read November 4, 2026)](https://www.san-x.co.jp/company/history/)