The history of Ohto: from an ink shop to the Auto Pencil, and why AUTO became OHTO
Ohto is the Tokyo maker known for needle-point and water-based pens. Yet it did not start out as a pen company at all. Here is its story, pieced together from the official company profile and the Japanese Wikipedia timeline.
It began with ground herbs and ink
The official company profile gives the founding as April of Taisho 8, that is 1919. According to the Japanese Wikipedia timeline, the founder was Nakata Tozaburo and the shop was called Nakata Hokado. Its first business was grinding Chinese herbal medicine and making dyes and ink.
1949: a ballpoint shaped like a pencil
The same timeline says that in 1949 the company released a pencil-shaped wooden ballpoint, the Auto Pencil, and was the first in the world to use a chrome ball. In 1962 it developed a pencil-shaped click ballpoint and renamed itself Auto Ballpoint Industry Co.
Water-based pens and ceramic balls
The timeline lists a series of world firsts. They are the company's own claims, and I have not checked who was first against other makers.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Water-based ballpoint (roller) Auto Pen W |
| 1978 | Rubber-grip ballpoint Gripper |
| 1981 | Ceramic used for the ball |
| 1999 | Cut needle tip and low-viscosity oil ink |
Why AUTO became OHTO
The spelling changed in 1974. Wikipedia says the reasons given are that the founding family had left management and that AUTO was easily confused with cars or with the English word out. It also notes that in 1986 the company fell in a chain failure caused by a trading partner's bankruptcy, but the firm itself survived.