Sailor
| Sailor Pen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Founded: | 1911 |
| Founder: | Kyugoro Sakata |
| Headquarters: | Hiroshima, Japan |
| Key People: | |
| Products: | fountain pens, inks |
| Website: | http://www.sailor.co.jp/ |
History[edit]
1910s[edit]
Sailor started in 1911 when Mr. Kyugoro Sakata, an engineer from the historic naval port of Hiroshima, was introduced to a Fountain Pen brought from England by a sailor friend. He soon became determined to produce finely crafted writing instruments in Japan with the highest specification and writing performance. [1] In the same year he and his brother started Sakata-Manufactory to produce gold nibs. [2] In 1917 the factory relocated to the next town Hamadacho and the company changed the name to "Sailor Pen Sakata-Manufactory Co., Ltd.". In this year company started manufacturing fountain pens.[2]
1920s[edit]
in 1929, Sailor's fountain pens with gold nibs became very popular and the company continuously developed unique innovative products for the Japanese stationery industry.[3]
1940s[edit]
Shortly after the Second World War and two years after starting this project Mr.Kyugoro Sakata launched the first Japanese produced ballpoint pens in 1948. [3]
In 1949 Sailor started producing Japan's first plastic fountain pens using plastic injection moulding. At that time, the materials of caps and barrels were all made of ebonite or celluloid. [4]
1950s[edit]
In 1954 the Sailor Pen Company invented Japan's first ink cartridges for the fountain pen and introduced them in 1958. [4]
1960s[edit]
In 1963 the Company introduced a mini type portable fountain pen that could be carried in the chest pocket. [4] In 1969 the world's first fountain pens with 21 gold nibs were developed by the Sailor Pen Company. The features of smoothness and elasticity were well-accepted and more than one million pieces were sold. [4]
1970s[edit]
In 1972 the Fude Pen (Brush Pen) went on sale by the Sailor Pen Company for the first time in the world.[5] In the late 70's the trend of fountain pens had started declining. In order to overcome this situation the Sailor Pen Company introduced the "Candy" series for the younger generations in 1976. This was a big hit worldwide and the Sailor sold more than 15 million pens during four years.[5]
1980s[edit]
In 1981 the famous 1911 was created using the accumulated technology and "know how" of the previous 70 year.[6]