Ohto

Writing utensil company

Not to be confused with Rohto.

Ohto Co., Ltd.

Formerly| Nakata-Ohka-do (1919–49)
Auto (1949–74)
Ohto (1974–present)
Company type| Limited
Industry| Writing instruments
Founded| 1919; 106 years ago (1919)
Founder| Nakata Touzaburo [1]
Headquarters|

Japan

Products| Fountain, rollerball, and gel pens, refills, and mechanical pencils
Website| ohto.jp

Ohto Co., Ltd. (オート株式会社, Ōto Kabushiki Gaisha) is a Japanese manufacturing company of writing implements. The company was established in 1919 as a manufacturer of dyes and ink. In 1949, the company became a pen manufacturer after they manufactured the world's first ball point pen with a chrome ball. This was also Japan's first ballpoint pen.[1]

Current products manufactured by Ohto are fountain, rollerball, and gel pens, their refills, and mechanical pencils.

## History

[edit]

The story of Ohto started when Nakata Touzaburo, an employee of the Ministry of Finance, invented a special ink, which he thought would be perfect for use in banknotes. After his idea was rejected by the Ministry, Touzaburo decide to establish a company by himself, establishing "Nakata-Ohka-do" in 1919 as a manufacturer of ink, setting up in Tokyo.[1]

When the United States Army (that had occupied Japan after the World War II) brought ballpoint pens with them, Japanese people were amazed by them and their long-lasting ink system, since ballpoints did not need to be refilled as often as fountain pens. Nakata took note of this, and in 1949 Nakata-Ohka-do released the first ballpoint pen made in Japan, named "Auto pencil". It also became the world's first pencil-shaped ballpoint pen with chrome ball.[2] To match its own invention, the company also renamed to "Auto".[1]

In the 1960s, Ohto also released the first water-based ballpoint pen, thus establishing a new category of pens: rollerball pens.[2] In 1974, the company realised that the word "Auto" was too closely associated with cars, and changed its name again to "Ohto".[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Meet the brand: Ohto on Cult Pens
2. ^ a b History on Ohto website

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
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* e

Pen manufacturers and brands

Dip nibs|

* Esterbrook
* Gillott
* Kaweco
* Leonardt
* Macniven and Cameron
* Josiah Mason
* Perry
* Hunt (Speedball)
* Zebra

Ballpoint|

* Ballograf
* Berol
* Bic
* Caran d'Ache
* Conway Stewart
* Cross
* Deli
* Herlitz
* Kaweco
* Kokuyo Camlin
* Lamy
* M&G Stationery
* Maped
* Monami
* Montblanc
* Ohto
* Paper Mate
* Parker
* Pelikan
* Pierre Cardin
* Pilot
* Reynolds
* Sailor
* Sakura
* Sheaffer
* Stabilo
* Staedtler
* Conway Stewart
* Tombow
* TOZ Penkala
* Uni-ball
* Yard-O-Led
* Zebra

Fountain|

* Aurora
* Berol
* Bic
* Pierre Cardin
* Cartier
* Caran d'Ache
* Conway Stewart
* Chelpark
* Curtis
* Conway Stewart
* Cross
* Dunhill
* Esterbrook
* Eversharp
* Faber-Castell
* Guy Laroche
* Hermès
* Hero
* Kaweco
* Koh-i-Noor
* Kokuyo Camlin
* Lamy
* Luxor
* Maped
* Monami
* Montblanc
* Montegrappa
* Namiki
* Ohto
* OMAS
* Onoto
* Parker
* Pelikan
* Penkala-Edmund Moster & Co.
* Pentel
* Pilot
* Reynolds
* Rotring
* Yves Saint Laurent
* Sailor
* Sheaffer
* Speedball
* Stabilo
* S.T. Dupont
* TOZ Penkala
* Tombow
* Visconti
* Waterman
* Yard-O-Led

Rollerball|

* Caran d'Ache
* Conway Stewart
* Pierre Cardin
* Deli
* Kaweco
* Kokuyo Camlin
* M&G Stationery
* Monami
* Ohto
* Pentel
* Pilot
* Reynolds
* Sakura
* Sharpie
* Sheaffer
* Stabilo
* Staedtler
* Uni-ball

Gel|

* Bic
* Crayola
* Deli
* M&G Stationery
* Maped
* Monami
* Muji
* Ohto
* Paper Mate
* Pentel
* Pilot
* Reynolds
* Sakura
* Sharpie
* Stabilo
* Uni-ball
* Zebra

Brush pens|

* Kuretake1
* Pentel1

Markers|

* Berol
* Caran d'Ache
* Copic
* Crayola
* Deli
* Herlitz
* Koh-i-Noor
* Kokuyo Camlin
* Kuretake
* M&G Stationery
* Maped
* Monami
* Pentel
* Pilot
* Sakura
* Sharpie
* Stabilo
* Staedtler
* Tombow
* Uni-ball
* Zebra

Ink|

* Bril
* Carter
* Conway Stewart
* Chelpark
* Kaweco
* Koh-i-Noor
* Kokuyo Camlin
* Kuretake
* Pelikan
* Penkala-Edmund Moster & Co.
* Rotring
* Staedtler
* TOZ Penkala
* Winsor & Newton

Technical|

* Rotring
* Staedtler

Related|

* Birmingham pen trade
* Calligraphy
* Cartooning
* Comics
* Ink wash painting
* Lettering
* List of types, brands and companies
* Narayam
* Pencil
* mechanical pencil

1 Only brush pens with refillable ink cartridges are listed.

* * *

* Category
* Commons

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Fountain pen manufacturers by country

|  |

| Australia|

* Curtis

|

China|

* Hero

Croatia|

* TOZ Penkala
* Penkala-Edmund Moster & Co.

Czech Republic|

* Koh-i-Noor

France|

* BIC
* Cartier
* Hermès
* Maped
* Pierre Cardin
* S. T. Dupont
* Yves Saint Laurent

Germany|

* Faber-Castell
* Graf von Faber-Castell
* Kaweco
* Lamy
* Montblanc
* Pelikan
* Rotring
* Schwan-Stabilo
* Staedtler

| India|

* Chelpark
* Kokuyo Camlin
* Luxor

|

Italy|

* Aurora
* Montegrappa
* OMAS
* Visconti

Japan|

* Namiki
* Ohto
* Pentel
* Pilot
* Platinum
* Sailor
* Tombow
* Zebra

Sweden|

* Ballograf

Switzerland|

* Caran d'Ache

United Kingdom|

* Berol
* Conway Stewart
* Dunhill
* Onoto
* Yard-O-Led

United States|

* Carter
* Cross
* Esterbrook
* Eversharp
* Parker
* Sheaffer
* Speedball
* Waterman

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