How rivalry between two Japanese companies in the 1950s led to the world's best pencils
Fierce competition between two Tokyo pencil makers led to a "Golden Age" of Japanese pencil manufacturing from 1952-1967.
As detailed in this article from the St. Louis Art Supply website, Tombow launched the premium HOMO pencil in 1952, featuring an ultra-smooth core developed with University of Tokyo scientists.
The era began…




