is a private

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese manufacturing company of stationery products. The company was founded in 1913 as Messrs "Tombow" and has since grown into an international business. Based in Tokyo with 397 employees. Tombow also has two overseas production facilities in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Tombow Thailand is the first overseas factory of Tombow with 425 employees (as of December 2007) and 6,480 square meters building area.

History

The company was established in 1913, when Harunosuke Ogawa opened a shop in Asakusa, with the name "Harunosuke Ogawa Pencil". One year later, the Mason brand of pencil was released. That was followed by other products, named "Stick", "Submarine" (1915), "Kaiman Roro", and "Cabinet" (in 1916). The dragonfly figure ("Tonbo" in Japanese – トンボ) was registered by the company as trademark for its pencils in 1927. During the following years, Tombow continued launching new lines of pencils. In December 1939, Harunosuke Ogawa Shoten incorporated as two companies, ''Tombow Pencil Manufacturing Co., Ltd.'' (manufacturing) and ''Tombow Pencil Trade Co. Ltd.'' (sales). The company launched an eraser manufactured by fats and oils without using rubber. In 1946, the company added pencil sharpeners to its catalog of products. In 1954, the company relocated the headquarters from Taitō to Nihonbashi in Chūō, Tokyo, with expansion of business. Four years later, the first ballpoint pens and markers were released, which consolidated Tombow as a manufacturer of all types of writing implements. In 1962, the company released an electric pencil sharpener. In November 1968, the Tombow pencil head office was moved to Kita, Tokyo, where it still remains. The Tombow Ballpen Co., division, was established in 1973. The company established its first European location in 1980, in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the "Tombow Pen & Pencil GmbH". International operations expanded to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(1983 in Westlake Village, California),

(1990 in Bangkok),

(2003), and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(2011).

Products

Tombow produces and markets a wide range of products, marketed through its own name and/or other brands. Tombow's product line includes the "dual brush", a type of marker pen with a brush-shaped tip that provides different sizes of strokes, depending on angle and pressure. It has a water-based ink and brush is made of nylon bristles. It was inspired on traditional ink brushes and inksticks used in Japanese calligraphy. Current products line includes:

Brands

Mono

The "Mono" (from the Greek "monos", translated to "special" or "only") brand was introduced in 1963, initially for a line of pencils. Nowadays, Mono brand comprises different pencils, erasers, mechanical pencils, and correction tapes. Wood-cased pencils include: Mono ''100'' (17 grades), Mono (14 grades), Mono ''R'' (7 grades). Mechanical pencils include: Mono ''Graph'', Mono ''Graph Zero'', Mono ''Graph One''. Block Erasers include: Mono ''Plastic Eraser'' (Material: PVC), Mono ''Dust Catch'' (PVC). Stick erasers include: Mono ''Zero'' (Elastomer), Mono ''Stick'' (PVC), Mono ''One'' (PVC).

Pit

The Pit brand was introduced in 1971 to name Tombow's glue sticks. In 1980, the first Pit liquid glue was launched to market. The last product of the Pit line to be introduced was the glue tape, in 1997.

Zoom

Zoom was born as a ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil brand in 1986. The Zoom 414 pen, designed by Kazunori Katami, won the Red Dot design award in 2007. It combines a ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil, a highlighter and an eraser in one slim design.

Other brands

Other brands of the group are Yo-i and Ippo!, with products designed for children. The ''8900'' pencil series (graphite and coloured cores) is also popular in Japan. Wood-cased pencils for general use include: ''8900'' (6 grades), ''8900V'' (Red), ''8900VP'' (Red and Blue), ''8900P'' (Blue), ''2558'' (3 grades).

References

External links

* {{Authority control Fountain pen and ink manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo Office supply companies of Japan Japanese stationery Art materials brands Manufacturing companies established in 1913 Japanese companies established in 1913 Japanese brands Pencil brands Pen manufacturers Pencil manufacturers