When Ryosuke Namiki left his job as a professor in 1915 to open a a small factory to produce gold fountain pen nibs, little did he realize where the journey would eventually lead. As he expanded into producing superb quality writing instruments, he joined forces with Masao Wada in 1918 to form Namiki Manufacturing LTD. The 2 settled on the name Pilot as the trade name, a reference to ship captains, to pay homage to their love of the sea. In 1925, Namiki patented the process of applying lacquer to the bodies of pens to prevent color fade. But in 1926, Namiki decided to introduce the ancient art of maki-e, the art of applying metallic dust to wet lacquer, to the writing instrument. To make a long story short, each fountain pen produced is now known as a distinguished and breathtaking work of art.
From 1926 to 1946, only 400 pens were were produced using the new technique and each one is now considered a treasure among fountain pen enthusiasts. Currently Namiki offers a variety of fine lines, from the wonderful beauty of the Emperor Collection, to the exquisitely intricate designs of the Yukari Collection, Namiki has gained worldwide recognition of not only producing one of the finest writing instruments, but producing timeless pieces of art. As beautiful as each Namiki fountain pen is, they are made to be used. With superior quality nibs and an excellent delivery system that provides a consistently smooth stroke, Namiki continues to set the standards in the luxury fountain pen marketplace of today.