Pentel

Japanese maker of writing instruments and art materials, founded in Tokyo in 1946 as Dainippon Bungu Co. After the worldwide success of the Sign Pen fibre-tip (1963), the company adopted the name Pentel in 1971 — from "pen" and "tell". Known for mechanical pencils, markers and the EnerGel gel line (2001; over 1.2 billion units sold by 2023). On 1 April 2026 the legal entity was renamed Astrum Corporation as part of its integration into the Plus group; Pentel continues as the global product brand.