You'd be forgiven to think that chalk is just that, chalk. A stick of porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. However widely underappreciated the tool is, the world of chalk is actually run on a hierarchy system composed by those who live and breathe the stuff - mathematicians.
Hagoromo Fulltouch chalk sits at the top of this pyramid, showering all the other chalk brands with shame; but it didn't climb to the top without first creating what was described as 'a chalk apocalypse' amongst some of the greatest problem solving minds in the sector.
Also deemed the 'Rolls Royce of chalk', the unassuming sticks of the stuff were first produced in Japan and remained relatively secret until word started to spread. Once people tried it for themselves, they were solidly converted.
Now famous for its silky feel, vibrant colours and unbreakable nature, it comes as no surprise that as soon as word started to spread, people started importing said chalk all across the globe. It's also speculated that it's impossible to write a false theorem with the chalk in hand, a legend popular with mathematicians.
The cult favourite won the hearts of teachers and mathematicians alike worldwide due to its ease of handling, writing and erasure.
David Eisenbud, Director Mathematical Sciences Research Institute said: “I discovered it when I went to visit the University of Tokyo and one of the professors there said 'you know we have better chalk than you do in the states', and I said oh go on, chalk is chalk. So I tried it out and I was surprised to find that he was right.
“Slowly the maths world became aware of this and it became a bit of a fad in some circles."
Mike Stillman Mathematics professor Cornell University spoke about his experience of using the chalk: “When I’m teaching, I get a feeling of energy, of confidence and the chalk absolutely helps."
At its peak, the company sold in excess of 90 million pieces of chalk per year in 1990 and held an impressive 30% share of the domestic market, according to Tokyo Shoko Research. However, due to overall dwindling global chalk sales, the Hagoromo brand shut its doors in 2015.
This is when the panic ensued, fans the world over began to stockpile the sticks and so began the aforementioned 'chalk apocalypse'. And so the process of mass buying, hoarding and re-selling of chalk commenced.
“The word came out that the company was going out of business, I jokingly referred to it as the chalk apocalypse so I immediately started hoarding up as much as I could.
"I was probably selling it to maybe eight to ten colleagues, I would reach into my cupboard in my office and pull out another box and we’d do the deal in my office. We all had a chalk fix and we still do." Mathematics teacher, Brian Conrad, joked.
Mathematics professor at the University of Washington, Max Lieblich, had a similar experience dipping his toes into the world of chalk dealing, he stated: "I calculated how many boxes I would need for ten or fifteen years.
"I didn’t want to become a chalk dealer but I did like the idea that I could be 'the first stick is free' chalk dealer on the block in my department."
Rumours and assumptions of the secret ingredient in the formula of the now infamous chalk range from a plausible 'clam shells' to an ever so slightly far fetched rumour of 'angel tears'.
South Korean company, Sejongmall, eventually bought the Hagoromo brand and a large amount of the original company's equipment. They now manufacture the chalk in South Korea and have done since 2016.
Hagoromo sold the three custom-made machines that were used to make Hagoromo chalk. A Japanese blackboard maker, Umajirushi, looking to expand their chalk production, bought one, having since launched DC Chalk Deluxe.
Sejongmall, a retailer in South Korea who previously imported the Hagoromo chalk, bought the following two machines in addition to the rights to the Hagoromo brand. They continue to produce the chalk in South Korea.
Many mathematicians consider it indistinguishable from the original product but the hardcore fans in the mathematical world still mourn the loss of the original chalk.
So why has the chalk grasped the imagination of mathematicians so much? David Eisenbud explains: "In many ways mathematics is like craftsmanship, in some ways its like artistry, in some ways it's like science so there’s a real high craft side to giving a beautiful lecture on a blackboard.
"Mathematicians admire this in each other and like to use the best tools for it."
