The business originated as Harunosuke Ogawa Shoten in Asakusa, Tokyo, before evolving into the modern Tombow Pencil corporation.2

The name Tombow is derived from the Japanese word tonbo (とんぼ), meaning “dragonfly”. In Japanese culture, the dragonfly holds significant symbolism; the country was historically referred to as Akitsu-shima (“Dragonfly Island”), and the insect was also known as kachi-mushi (“victorious insect”), representing good fortune.3 Founder Harunosuke Ogawa registered the dragonfly as the company’s trademark in 1927, establishing it as the defining corporate symbol. While the modern logo has evolved considerably from the original realistic illustration, it continues to incorporate the dragonfly motif.4

Early years (1913–1920s)

Tombow traces its origins to 1913, when Harunosuke Ogawa established a stationery and pencil business named Harunosuke Ogawa Shoten in Asakusa. During its initial years, the company produced various pencil types including H.O. Pencil, MASON, STICK Pencil, SUBMARINE Pencil, CABINET, REPORTER, and assorted novelty items. In 1920, the firm began using “H.O.P.” as a trademark. This was followed in 1927 by the adoption and registration of the dragonfly (Tombow) mark as its house brand. The following year, in 1928, the company released its first full-scale TOMBOW DRAWING PENCILS.5 These early developments established Tombow fundamentally as a pencil manufacturer.

Expansion into comprehensive stationery (1930s–1950s)

Between the 1930s and 1950s, Tombow significantly expanded its manufacturing capabilities beyond pencils to include sharpeners, mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, markers, drafting products and other writing instruments. In 1939, the original entity was reorganised into separate manufacturing and sales companies, cementing the Tombow name as a corporate identity.6 By the late 1950s, the company had transitioned towards the broader writing-instrument business that would define its later twentieth-century operations.

The birth of MONO

The MONO brand was launched in 1963 with the introduction of a high-quality drawing pencil. The name derives from the Greek word monos, signifying “one”, “only” or “unique”.7 Originally developed as a premium writing and drawing product, the brand subsequently expanded into erasers and eventually grew into an extensive family of stationery products.8

In 1967, Tombow introduced MONO 100, then its highest-grade pencil. Notably, this product included a plastic eraser, which was relatively uncommon in Japan at the time. User demand for the eraser led to its separate release, resulting in one of the most recognised products in Japanese stationery history: the MONO Eraser.8

The MONO Eraser

The iconic MONO Eraser was launched as a standalone product in 1969. Its distinctive blue-white-black striped sleeve was originally intended to make the small item visually identifiable, but the design became so recognisable that the stripes themselves became synonymous with both Tombow and Japanese stationery.9 Today, the MONO Eraser is arguably the company’s most globally recognised product, widely used in schools, drafting, illustration, manga creation, graphic design and office environments. Importantly, MONO has developed into a broader product family encompassing pencils, correction tapes, mechanical pencils and other writing tools, rather than remaining solely an eraser brand.10

Diversification: Adhesives and art supplies

During the 1970s, Tombow expanded beyond writing instruments. In 1971, the company launched PiT, described as Japan’s first domestically manufactured glue stick, establishing adhesives as a major product category.11 This diversification allowed Tombow to provide products covering fundamental stationery functions: writing, erasing, correcting and sticking.

In 1984, Tombow introduced the ABT Dual Brush Pen, which became internationally renowned among artists and lettering enthusiasts. Initially available in 72 colours and later expanded to 144, the current range comprises 108 colours.12 The pen features a dual-tip construction with one flexible brush tip and one fine bullet tip, making it suitable for lettering, calligraphy, illustration, colouring, sketching, journaling and watercolour-style techniques. This product helped establish Tombow’s identity within the creative and art stationery market.13

Premium design and specialised lines

The ZOOM series was launched in 1986 as a design-focused writing instrument line. Rather than adhering to conventional forms, Tombow experimented with unusual shapes, proportions and mechanisms, exemplified by the thick-bodied ZOOM 505 ballpoint pen with its distinctive rubber grip. The ZOOM philosophy combines writing instruments with industrial design and individuality, exploring forms that traditional pens do not typically follow.7 This positions ZOOM as a premium, design-oriented counterpart to the functional and iconic MONO line.

Fudenosuke is another significant line, particularly popular for modern hand lettering and Japanese-style writing. Combining fude (brush) with nosuke, these pens feature controlled brush-like tips suitable for handwriting, lettering, illustration, sketching and bullet journaling. Unlike the high flexibility of ABT pens, Fudenosuke is positioned as a more controlled writing tool.13

Tombow maintains a diverse portfolio of brands. Its official lineup includes:8

• MONO: Pencils, erasers, mechanical pencils, correction products and stationery.
• PiT: Glue sticks, glue tapes and liquid adhesives.
• ZOOM: Premium and design-oriented writing instruments.
• ABT: Dual Brush Pens and art/lettering products.
• Playcolor: Creative colouring and children’s art products.
• IROJITEN: Coloured-pencil products.
• Fudenosuke: Brush-style writing and lettering pens.
• ippo!: Stationery designed for children and students.
• Yo-i: Products related to children’s and student stationery.

Beyond these named brands, Tombow manufactures a wide range of other products including standard pencils, coloured pencils, ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, markers, correction tape, sharpeners and adhesives.1415

Design is integral to Tombow’s corporate identity. Products such as MONO zero, AirPress, PFit, MONO air, MONO graph and various ZOOM models have received numerous Japanese and international design awards, including recognition from Good Design, iF Design and Red Dot programmes.16 The company approaches design as a functional solution rather than mere decoration. For example, AirPress uses a pressurised mechanism for writing in difficult conditions, MONO zero provides ultra-fine precision erasing, and MONO graph integrates a dedicated eraser mechanism into a mechanical pencil. This reflects a recurring pattern of identifying specific stationery inconveniences and engineering user-friendly mechanisms to solve them.

The Tombow logo has undergone several major transformations:4

• 1927: The dragonfly was registered as the company trademark.17
• 1928–1957: A relatively realistic, downward-facing dragonfly appeared on products, particularly high-quality drawing pencils.
• 1957–1995: Designer Takashi Kono created a modernised mark as the company expanded into pens and other instruments.
• 1995–2012: A global logo design was introduced featuring a distinctive treatment of the letter “W”.
• 2013 onwards: For its centenary, Tombow introduced the current corporate symbol, incorporating an abstract and modern dragonfly motif to represent freedom and energy while retaining historical continuity.1018

Tombow began expanding internationally relatively early. Key milestones include the establishment of Tombow Pen & Pencil GmbH in Germany (1980), American Tombow in the United States (1983), overseas production operations in Thailand (1990), Tombow Pencil (Dalian) in China (2011), and significant manufacturing expansion in Vietnam from the 2000s onwards.1920 American Tombow has been particularly important for the brand’s presence in North America, where its art products gained popularity among artists, crafters, educators and hand-lettering communities.21

Although Tombow remains a Japanese company, not all products are manufactured in Japan. Current production bases include the Manufacturing & Development Center in Aichi, Japan, as well as Tombow Manufacturing Asia, Tombow Vietnam and Tombow Stationery Vietnam in Vietnam.22 The company also established overseas production in Thailand in the early 1990s. This global manufacturing strategy allows Tombow to control costs while maintaining quality standards.23 Consequently, the Tombow brand identifies the manufacturer and quality standard rather than necessarily indicating the country of origin.

As of 2026, Tombow operates as a diversified stationery manufacturer. Its official product categories include:24

• Writing: Pencils, coloured pencils, ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, multifunction pens, marking pens, water brushes and crayons.
• Correction: Erasers, replacement erasers and correction tapes.
• Gluing: Glue tapes, glue sticks and liquid glue.
• Other: Pencil sharpeners, pencil caps and pencil-training tools.

The company continues to introduce new products; in 2026, announcements included FUMI, new AirPress colours, new MONOGRAPH products and updated PiT items.25

Tombow occupies a distinct position within the Japanese stationery industry, characterised by extreme attention to detail in ordinary objects. While many manufacturers compete on specifics such as balance, grip, lead quality and ergonomics, Tombow is particularly noted for the intersection of traditional Japanese writing instruments, precision stationery, correction products and creative art tools.26 Its identity can be summarised through five characteristics: Japanese stationery heritage dating to 1913; engineering focused on solving specific problems; heavy investment in industrial and graphic design; brand longevity with decades-old lines receiving continuous updates; and a strong presence in the creative stationery market through products like ABT, Fudenosuke, Playcolor and IROJITEN.

Compared to other major Japanese manufacturers, Tombow’s primary associations are MONO, erasers, pencils, art pens and design-led stationery. This distinguishes it from companies primarily associated with fountain pens (Pilot), mechanical pencils (Pentel), ballpoint technology (Uni/Mitsubishi Pencil, Zebra), art materials (Sakura) or office organisation (Kokuyo). Within this landscape, the MONO family remains central to Tombow’s identity; its consistent positioning as high-quality, precise and understated stationery, combined with the iconic status of the MONO Eraser’s striped sleeve, has turned a mundane object into a recognisable design icon.27

1. Company Profile | TOMBOW PENCIL
2. About Tombow | Mission + Diversity | Environmental Policy
3. Company History | TOMBOW PENCIL
4. Story of the Tombow Logo | TOMBOW PENCIL
5. MONO | TOMBOW PENCIL
6. MONO | TOMBOW PENCIL
7. ZOOM | TOMBOW PENCIL
8. Brands | TOMBOW PENCIL
9. The world of Tombow | TOMBOW PENCIL
10. The Tombow Pencil introduces a new corporate logo mark.The 100th anniversary of our founding in 2013 | TOMBOW PENCIL
11. TOMBOW PENCIL
12. Dual Brush Pen History
13. Everything You Need To Know About Tombow Pencils – Tombow USA Blog
14. History of Mechanical Pencil | TOMBOW PENCIL
15. History of water-based ballpoint pen | TOMBOW PENCIL
16. 沿革 | 株式会社トンボ鉛筆
17. MONO | 株式会社トンボ鉛筆
18. Tombow Europe: About us
19. Tombow Europe: Tombow Brand Overview | Tombow
20. About Us | Tombow – Tombow UK
21. Products – Tombow USA
22. Tombow USA
23. All Products – Tombow USA
24. Catalogs – Tombow USA
25. Art & Craft Supplies | Brush Pens, Pencils & Adhesives | Tombow
26. Press Room – Tombow USA
27. School & Office Supplies | Pencils, Erasers & More | Tombow – Tombow USA