Pentel’s name comes from a combination of the words pen and tell, i.e. to tell a story with your pen(cil). The company was founded in 1946 as the Japan Stationery Co., Ltd, and its former president, Yukio Horie, invented the felt-tip pen in the 1960s. While they continue to produce pens and mechanical pencils today, Pentel sadly no longer seems to make wood-cased pencils. Website: www.pentel.co.jp