Tombow History: Asakusa 1913 to MONO and ABT
Tombow began in February 1913, when Harunosuke Ogawa opened a pencil shop in Asakusa, Tokyo. It adopted the dragonfly (tombo) mark in 1927, launched the MONO drafting pencil in 1963, sold the MONO eraser from 1969 and the Dual Brush Pen from 1984, and is still Tokyo-based as Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd.
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Key takeaways
- Harunosuke Ogawa opened Ogawa Harunosuke Shoten in Asakusa in February 1913 and stamped his pencils H.O.Pencil; Tombow counts its founding from that shop.
- The dragonfly, tombo in Japanese, became the product mark in 1927; the business was incorporated as two companies, for sales and manufacturing, in December 1939.
- The MONO drafting pencil went on sale in August 1963 at 60 yen; the MONO eraser began as a free gift with the 1967 MONO 100 and was sold on its own from November 1969.
- The Dual Brush Pen launched in September 1984 with 72 colors; Tombow's history says 12 new colors in 2018 took the ABT range to 108.
- Tombow celebrated its 100th year in 2013 and reports 355 employees at the parent and 1,627 in the group at the end of December 2025.
Tombow is best known abroad for two things: an eraser in a blue, white and black sleeve, and a double-ended brush marker. Both came out of a Tokyo pencil company that is now well past its centenary. Dates below are from Tombow’s Japanese company history and company profile, translated by us.
What is the history of Tombow?
Tombow began in February 1913 as Harunosuke Ogawa’s pencil shop in Asakusa, Tokyo, took the dragonfly as its mark in 1927, and grew from pencils into erasers, glue and markers, with the MONO pencil (1963), the MONO eraser (1969) and the Dual Brush Pen (1984) as its best-known products. Tombow’s Japanese history says the opening of “Ogawa Harunosuke Shoten” in Asakusa in 1913 is “the founding of Tombow Pencil”.
The company is still Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (株式会社トンボ鉛筆), with its head office in Kita-ku, Tokyo. Its profile gives capital of 90 million yen and, at the end of December 2025, 355 employees at the parent company and 1,627 in the group.
Tombow timeline: 1913 to 2017
These dates trace Tombow from pencil shop to brand. All come from Tombow’s Japanese company history.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 1913 | Harunosuke Ogawa opens Ogawa Harunosuke Shoten in Asakusa; pencils stamped H.O.Pencil |
| 1927 | Dragonfly mark (トンボ印) adopted as the product brand |
| June 1928 | TOMBOW DRAWING PENCILS, which Tombow calls Japan’s first serious drafting pencils |
| December 1939 | Business incorporated as two companies, for sales and for manufacturing |
| November 1945 | 8900 pencil for photo retouching |
| August 1952 | HOMO top-grade pencil |
| August 1963 | MONO drafting pencil, 60 yen; Shinshiro factory in Aichi opens in April |
| September 1967 | MONO 100 for the 55th anniversary; MONO eraser made as its free gift |
| November 1969 | MONO eraser goes on sale |
| May 1971 | PiT, Japan’s first domestic glue stick |
| September 1984 | Dual Brush Pen in 72 colors |
| 2013 | 100th anniversary |
| 2017 | MONO’s blue, white and black stripes registered as a color-only trademark |
Who was Harunosuke Ogawa?
The founder, who opened a pencil shop in Asakusa in 1913 and put his initials on the pencils as H.O.Pencil, for “Harunosuke Ogawa Pencil”. Tombow’s history lists a burst of novelty pencils in his first years, from “MASON” (1914) to a pencil with a celluloid doll called “Funny Face” (1919), and the H.O.P. trademark from 1921.
The dragonfly arrived in 1927. Tombo means dragonfly in Japanese, and the English spelling Tombow keeps the sound; the history only records that the “トンボ印” (dragonfly mark) was adopted as the product brand that year. The sole proprietorship became two companies, Tombow Pencil Shoji for sales and Tombow Pencil Seisakusho for manufacturing, in December 1939.
When did Tombow make the MONO pencil?
In August 1963, when Tombow launched the MONO as its top-grade drafting pencil at 60 yen each. It followed the 8900 of November 1945, still sold today and covered in our Tombow 8900 guide, and the 1952 HOMO, which Tombow then called Japan’s finest pencil.
For its 55th anniversary in September 1967, Tombow released the MONO 100, its top pencil, which is still in the range; our Tombow MONO 100 guide covers it.
How did the MONO eraser begin?
As a free gift: Tombow says it developed a “new-material eraser” in 1967 to give away with the MONO 100, then sold the MONO eraser as a product from November 1969. It kept the pencil’s name; our Tombow MONO eraser guide covers the standard size.
Tombow kept building on the name. Its history records the MONO correction tapes from the 1990s, the slim holder eraser MONO zero, and the MONO graph mechanical pencil with a built-in MONO eraser in 2014. In 2017 the blue, white and black stripes were registered as a trademark made of colors alone; the MONO zero eraser carries them too.
When did the Dual Brush Pen come out?
In September 1984, as a water-based marker in 72 colors, according to Tombow’s Japanese history. It is sold as the ABT in Japan, the name on its Japanese brand page, and as the Dual Brush Pen in the US.
The range has grown since. Tombow’s history records 12 new colors in 2018 that made 108 in all, though the 1984 entry on the same page says “currently 95 colors”, so the page contradicts itself; we follow the later, specific 2018 entry. Our Tombow Dual Brush Pen guide covers the tips and ink, and it is one of the picks in our best brush pens roundup.
In August 2001 Tombow added the Fudenosuke, a brush pen for people who struggle with brush lettering; see our Tombow Fudenosuke guide.
How did Tombow reach the US and Europe?
Through its own sales companies: Tombow Pen & Pencil GmbH in West Germany in 1980 and American Tombow, Inc. in California in 1983. The German company started in Cologne and later moved to Troisdorf; the American one started in Westlake Village and later moved to Georgia.
Manufacturing moved partly abroad as well. Tombow opened a factory in Bangkok in July 1990 and one in Ho Chi Minh City in October 2003. Its current profile lists a production and development center in Aichi plus three Vietnamese factories, and no longer names the Thai plant.
Who runs Tombow today?
Tombow is an independent Tokyo company with chairman Akihiro Ogawa and president Junichi Fukushima, according to its company profile. Tombow doesn’t say on its site who its shareholders are or how the chairman is related to the founder, so we don’t claim it is family-owned.
It is not part of any of the groups in our who owns which stationery brands story. For the broader Japanese context, see our Japan’s stationery culture story.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Tombow?
Harunosuke Ogawa. Tombow's Japanese company history says he opened Ogawa Harunosuke Shoten in Asakusa, Tokyo, in 1913, and that this counts as the founding of Tombow Pencil. His pencils were stamped H.O.Pencil, for Harunosuke Ogawa Pencil.
Why is Tombow's logo a dragonfly?
Tombo means dragonfly in Japanese. Tombow's history says the company adopted the dragonfly mark (トンボ印) as its product brand in 1927; the English spelling Tombow keeps the Japanese sound.
When did the Tombow MONO pencil come out?
In August 1963, as a top-grade drafting pencil priced at 60 yen each, according to Tombow's Japanese history. The MONO 100 followed in September 1967 to mark the company's 55th year.
How did the MONO eraser start?
As a free gift. Tombow says it developed a new-material eraser in 1967 as a giveaway with the MONO 100 pencil, then put the MONO eraser on sale as a product in November 1969.
When did Tombow start selling in the US?
Tombow set up American Tombow, Inc. in Westlake Village, California, in 1983, three years after its West German sales company. The US company later moved to Georgia.
Who owns Tombow?
Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. of Kita-ku, Tokyo, is an independent company with no parent group. Its company profile names Akihiro Ogawa as chairman and Junichi Fukushima as president; Tombow doesn't publish its shareholders.
Where are Tombow products made?
Tombow's profile lists a production and development center in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and three factories in Vietnam. Its first overseas factory opened in Bangkok in 1990 and a Ho Chi Minh City plant followed in 2003.
Sources
- Tombow Pencil (Japanese): 沿革 (company history, 1913 to the 2020s)
- Tombow Pencil (Japanese): 会社概要 (company profile: founded February 1913, officers, employees, production sites)
- Tombow Pencil (Japanese): 社長メッセージ (president's message, Junichi Fukushima)
- Tombow Pencil (Japanese): MONO brand page
- Tombow Pencil (Japanese): ABT brand page