Pentel History: Crayons, the Sign Pen and ASTRUM
Pentel began in Tokyo in 1946 as Dainippon Bungu, a maker of crayons and paints founded by Yukio Horie. It launched Hi-Polymer lead in 1960 and the Sign Pen in 1963, became Pentel Co., Ltd. in 1971, joined the PLUS group in November 2022 and was renamed ASTRUM Corporation on April 1, 2026. Pentel stays the brand.
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Key takeaways
- Pentel was founded in 1946 as Dainippon Bungu (大日本文具) by Yukio Horie, whose family business had sold brushes, inkstones and ink; its first products were a grip-shaped ink stick and, in 1947, crayons.
- The name Pentel first appeared in 1951 on an oil pastel, and the company took it in 1971; Pentel joins pen with tel from pastel, and also reads as pen plus tell.
- In 1960 Pentel launched what it calls the world's first synthetic-resin pencil lead, Hi-Polymer, in 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 mm; the 0.3 mm Mechanica followed in 1968.
- The 1963 Sign Pen, which Pentel calls the original fiber-tip water-based pen, sold more than 2.2 billion by Pentel's count; President Lyndon Johnson ordered 24 dozen.
- PLUS made Pentel a subsidiary in November 2022 with 76.3%, and the company became ASTRUM Corporation on April 1, 2026, with 2025 sales of 46,577 million yen (about US$295 million), 72.4% of it abroad.
Pentel started out making crayons for schoolchildren and became one of the world’s best-known makers of mechanical pencils and fiber-tip pens. The dates below come from Pentel’s Japanese history and recruiting pages and from ASTRUM’s and PLUS’s company pages, translated by us.
What is the history of Pentel?
Pentel began in 1946 as Dainippon Bungu, a Tokyo maker of crayons and paints, invented the Hi-Polymer pencil lead in 1960 and the Sign Pen in 1963, and took the name Pentel Co., Ltd. in 1971. In November 2022 it became a subsidiary of PLUS Corporation, and on April 1, 2026 the company was renamed ASTRUM Corporation.
Pentel remains the brand on every pen and pencil. How PLUS won control after KOKUYO’s 2019 bid is told in our story on PLUS, Sailor and Pentel; this page covers the products and the people.
Pentel timeline: 1946 to 2026
Pentel’s history runs from a grip-shaped ink stick in 1946 to the ASTRUM name in 2026. Dates are from Pentel’s Japanese history page unless noted.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| March 1946 | Dainippon Bungu founded; Soka factory; nigiri-zumi ink stick | Pentel history, ASTRUM |
| 1947 | Meiro crayons, made in Japan from paraffin and pigment | Pentel history |
| 1951 | Pentel oil pastel, named by the painter Shigeo Miyata | Pentel history |
| 1953 | Exports begin | Pentel history |
| 1960 | Pentel Pencil (0.9 mm), Pentel Sharp (0.5/0.7 mm) and Hi-Polymer lead | Pentel history |
| 1963 | Sign Pen launched; Chicago stationery fair | Pentel history |
| 1965 | Pentel of America founded | Pentel history |
| 1967 | Rolling Writer | Pentel history |
| 1968 | Mechanica, which Pentel calls the first 0.3 mm drafting pencil | Pentel history |
| 1971 | Renamed Pentel Co., Ltd.; Kerry mechanical pencil | Pentel history |
| 1976 | Pentel Brush pen with nylon bristles | Pentel history |
| 1986 | Graph 1000 drafting pencil | Pentel history |
| 1989 | Hybrid gel-ink pen | Pentel history |
| 2001 | EnerGel | Pentel history |
| 2014 | Orenz 0.2 mm mechanical pencil | Pentel history |
| November 2022 | Becomes a PLUS subsidiary (76.3%) | PLUS history, Pentel notice |
| April 1, 2026 | Company renamed ASTRUM Corporation | Pentel history, PLUS release |
Who founded Pentel?
Yukio Horie founded Pentel, building on his family’s business selling calligraphy brushes, inkstones and ink. Pentel’s recruiting pages say Horie believed after the war that Japan’s future depended on educating its children, so he began with art materials for schools.
The first product, in 1946, was nigiri-zumi, an ink stick shaped to be gripped like a crayon and sold by the family firm, Horie Bunkaido. Meiro crayons of paraffin and pigment followed in 1947 and Dragon tube watercolors in 1949.
The company still sponsors children’s art: it has backed the World Children’s Picture Contest since its first edition at Expo ’70 in Osaka.
Where does the name Pentel come from?
The name began in 1951 on an oil pastel and became the company’s name in 1971. Pentel’s history says the painter Shigeo Miyata named the pastel, joining pen (from painting) and tel (from pastel).
People started calling the company “Pentel-san”, and with the Sign Pen and mechanical pencils selling abroad, Dainippon Bungu became Pentel Co., Ltd. in 1971. Pentel says it also reads the name as pen plus tell, to tell or express.
How did Pentel change the mechanical pencil?
In 1960 Pentel launched Hi-Polymer lead, which it calls the world’s first pencil lead made with synthetic resin instead of clay, and the thin click pencils to use it. Resin let the lead be made far thinner and stronger; the launch range was 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 mm.
The 0.3 mm Mechanica of 1968 was the first drafting pencil for that size, Pentel says, and the 0.2 mm PS1042 of 1973 is the root of the Orenz. Our guides cover the lead today, Pentel Super Hi-Polymer, and pencils from the Kerry of 1971 to the Graph 1000 for Pro of 1986 and the Orenz of 2014. The GraphGear 1000 leads our best mechanical pencil picks.
How did the Sign Pen become famous?
The Sign Pen, launched in 1963, sold slowly in Japan until it reached the White House. Pentel calls it the original fiber-tip, water-based pen, one that writes like a brush without bleeding through.
At the 1963 Chicago stationery fair Pentel handed out samples. According to Pentel, one reached President Lyndon Johnson through his press secretary, and he ordered 24 dozen, 288 pens; the news made it a hit across the US.
Pentel also says Sign Pens flew on Gemini 6 and 7 in 1965. Its recruiting site counts more than 2.2 billion sold; our Pentel Sign Pen guide covers the pen, which has barely changed.
What came after the Sign Pen?
Pentel kept adding writing tools: the Rolling Writer (1967), the Pentel Brush (1976), the Hybrid gel pen (1989), the EnerGel (2001) and the Orenz (2014). The Rolling Writer was the official pen of the 1979 Tokyo summit, according to Pentel.
The EnerGel, which Pentel describes as smooth, dark and quick-drying, is covered in our EnerGel guide. In 2025 Pentel said the orenz had sold 20 million in total and made ORENZ a single worldwide brand name.
Why is Pentel now called ASTRUM?
PLUS, which has owned 76.3% of Pentel since November 2022, renamed the company ASTRUM Corporation on April 1, 2026 as the base for merging its stationery businesses by 2028. Astrum is Latin for a star or heavenly body, and ASTRUM says the name is a guiding star for the group’s brands.
ASTRUM’s page says no other group company will change its name and Pentel stays the business brand worldwide. ASTRUM reported 2025 consolidated sales of 46,577 million yen (about US$295 million), 72.4% of them outside Japan, and 2,732 staff.
Our ownership overview lists PLUS’s other brands, including Sailor, which stays a separate listed company.
What couldn’t we confirm?
Pentel’s pages give only years for most launches, and its two accounts of its name differ. The pastel origin (pen plus pastel) and the 1971 reading (pen plus tell) both come from Pentel, and we give both.
The Lyndon Johnson order and the Gemini flights come from Pentel’s own history; we did not find NASA or White House records of them. The 2.2 billion Sign Pen figure has no date on Pentel’s recruiting page.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Yukio Horie?
Yukio Horie (堀江幸夫). Pentel's recruiting site says that after the war he believed Japan's children needed education above all, so he started by making art materials for schools, such as crayons and paints. The firm began in 1946 as Dainippon Bungu.
What does the name Pentel mean?
Pentel gives two meanings. The 1951 oil pastel was named by the painter Shigeo Miyata from pen, for painting, and tel, from pastel. When the company took the name in 1971, Pentel also read it as pen plus tell, to tell or express.
Did a US president use the Pentel Sign Pen?
Pentel says so. Its history says a sample handed out at the 1963 Chicago stationery fair reached President Lyndon Johnson through his press secretary, and that he ordered 24 dozen, or 288 pens. The story is Pentel's own account.
Did the Sign Pen go to space?
Pentel says Sign Pens were on board in 1965 when NASA's Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 met in orbit. It explains that the pen feeds ink by capillary action, so it doesn't leak in weightlessness.
What was Pentel's first mechanical pencil?
The Pentel Pencil of 1960, a click pencil with 0.9 mm lead that never needed sharpening, launched with the Pentel Sharp in 0.5 and 0.7 mm and the new Hi-Polymer lead. The 0.3 mm Mechanica drafting pencil followed in 1968.
What does ASTRUM mean?
Astrum is Latin for a star or heavenly body. ASTRUM says human intelligence began with reading the night sky, as in the Lascaux cave paintings, and that the name is meant as a guiding star for merging the PLUS group's stationery brands.
How many Sign Pens has Pentel sold?
More than 2.2 billion in total, according to Pentel's Japanese recruiting site. The same site says the Ball Pentel, its resin-tipped water-based ballpoint of 1972, passed 1 billion.
Sources
- Pentel (Japanese): ぺんてるのあゆみ (company and product history, 1946–2026, with the Sign Pen, name and ASTRUM stories)
- Pentel (Japanese): はじめに知る、ぺんてる (recruiting: founder Yukio Horie; Sign Pen sales of 2.2 billion)
- Pentel (Japanese): ぺんてるが生んだ、世界にまだなかったもの (recruiting: Horie Bunkaido, Hi-Polymer lead, Ball Pentel 1 billion)
- ASTRUM Corporation (Japanese): 企業情報 (company information: founded March 1946, 2025 sales and staff, name)
- PLUS Corporation (Japanese): 沿革・年代別トピックス (company history: Pentel a subsidiary, November 2022)
- Pentel (Japanese): 当社株主変更に関するお知らせ, September 30, 2022 (PLUS to hold 76.3%)
- PLUS Corporation (Japanese): プラスグループのステーショナリー事業の段階的統合及び連結子会社の商号変更に関するお知らせ, March 17, 2026