KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. — A 42-year-old man in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, is selling an unusual pencil — its graphite core has been sculpted into the shape of the word "gokaku," which means the passing of a test or selection process — as a gift or good luck charm for students taking entrance exams or going on job interviews.

Toshiyuki Yamazaki is a pencil sculptor, a line of work he moved into a couple of years ago.

"There is a place where you can use your talent," he said. "What's important is never to give up."

He uses a 4B pencil, which has a graphite core with a 4-mm diameter. It takes about two hours to carve the characters into the graphite using a small blade and tiny drill.

Orders for his creations, including those using other alphabets, can be made on his website at www.enpitsu-art.jp.