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Innovation With Craftmanship click here to learn more about Pilot pen The story of Pilot Pen is an exciting voyage filled with amazing innovations and thoughtful philosophy. 日本品牌百乐笔的发展故事，贯穿创新细致的哲学理念。 Originally named Namiki Manufacturing Company, Pilot Pen was founded in 1918 by Ryosuke Namiki and Masao Wada. The duo first met when they were working onboard the same merchant ship after graduating from Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine (known today as Tokyo University of Marine Science of Technology). Though both men shared the same aspiration of creating something Japanese that the world would be proud to use, Namiki became a university professor while Wada became a businessman. In 1906, after witnessing a student in his class struggling to use a ruling pen, Namiki created ruling pens that stored the ink within the pen body to make using them much easier. In the 1910s, Namiki started researching into fountain pens. Convinced that they could create a Japanese version of the Western writing instrument with even higher quality, Namiki and Wada established the Namiki Manufacturing Company. A Guide for Penmanship Renamed the Pilot Pen Company in 1938, the company hoped to be like a guide leading ships into the port. When Namiki Manufacturing Company was first set up, Namiki and Wada adopted five guiding principles for their company. The first principle is “Sansha Teiritsu”, meaning “the three balanced forces”, representing the producer, the seller and the consumer. Much like the ding – a three-legged Chinese bronze cauldron – each of the three legs will have to be the same length to ensure stability. Applying the same logic to their business even today, the company ensures a balanced relationship between partners and all other stakeholders. The second principle is “Ukiwa Seishin”, which means “shared joy and sorrows”. Namiki and Wada understood the inevitable hardships of their pursuit, and that accomplishing goals would be a genuine source of joy. Therefore, the two founders believed that all the staff in their company should share the successes and sacrifices together. The third principle is “Nankan Toppa”, which means “overcoming difficulties”, reportedly derived from Namiki’s experience onboard a ship which ran into a violent storm at sea and was kept afloat by the ship’s crew working together. Namiki and Wada believed that as long as their staff demonstrated a collective will to overcome any difficulty, their company would triumph over any crisis, including the many challenges that they had to face in the early days of their company. By Nabihah Baharen (Malaysia) 文:娜比哈·巴哈仁(马来西亚) 1977 – World’s first multifunctional writing instrument that combines ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil 首次结合原子笔与铅笔芯的多用途书写工具于 1977年面市 1963 – World’s first retractable fountain pen 1963年问世的世界首支按式墨水笔 1965 – World’s first 0.5 mm ultra-fine ball pen 1965年全球首创第一支0.5毫米的原子笔 28 - popularnews 133