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How rivalry between two Japanese companies in the 1950s led to the world's best pencils

Ellsworth Toohey
Mar 04, 2025
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The Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencil

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…

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