Kuretake

Name

Kuretake

Legal name

株式会社呉竹

Website

https://kuretake.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Writing Instruments and Art Supplies Manufacturing

NAICS

Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing (339940), Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Writing instruments manufacturing
• Art and craft supplies
• Calligraphy tools
• Industrial markers
• Cosmetics OEM

Headquarters

HQ city

Nara

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art & Craft Products: Sales of calligraphy supplies (墨, 書道用品, 書道セット), brush pens (筆ぺん), marking pens, and art & craft materials through agency networks and e-commerce platforms.
2. Industrial Applications: Sales of pen-shaped containers for industrial coating applications, conductive carbon coatings, industrial markers (オペークペン), and industrial adhesives to manufacturing companies.
3. Cosmetics OEM: Manufacturing and supplying cosmetics containers and applicators, leveraging 40+ years of brush pen technology. Offers container design, production, and product development services for cosmetics brands.
4. Snow Melting Solutions: Sale of SR Black liquid snow melting agent using carbon black as main component, for golf courses, orchards, and drone distribution applications.
5. B2B Online Sales: Direct online ordering platform for corporate customers to purchase industrial products and commercial quantities of consumer products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kuretake Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells traditional Japanese art supplies, calligraphy tools, brush pens (Fude Pen), inks, and writing instruments under brands including Kuretake, ZIG, GANSAI TAMBI, and Kuretake Fude Pen. The company also operates an industrial division producing pen-shaped containers, conductive carbon coatings, opaque pens, snow-melting agents, and adhesives, alongside cosmetics OEM/private-label manufacturing services utilizing its proprietary ink and micro-particle dispersion technologies.

Product overview

Kuretake is a traditional Japanese stationery and art materials manufacturer founded in Nara in 1902, operating as an 'Art & Craft Company' that develops, manufactures, and sells calligraphy products, brush pens, art supplies, and industrial applications. The core product portfolio centers on three main brands: Kuretake (呉竹) as the parent company brand; ZIG by Kuretake for expression tools including pens, markers, brush pens, and water brushes; and GANSAI TAMBI (顔彩耽美) for Japanese color expression. Key consumer products include the signature 'くれ竹筆ぺん' brush pens, '墨滴' liquid ink, calligraphy brushes, '万年毛筆' fountain brush pens, 'ZIG Clean Color Dot' dot pens, 'ZIG Clean Color Real Brush' watercolor brush pens, 'ZIG Letter Pen COCOIRO' refillable pens, 'ORINOTE' accordion notebooks, 'ink-café' DIY color ink products, and 'お化粧ふでぺん' makeup brush pens. The company also operates an industrial division developing pen-shaped application containers, conductive carbon coatings, liquid snow-melting agents (SR Black), opaque masking pens, industrial adhesives, matte black inks, and OEM cosmetics manufacturing. The subsidiary Seishodo handles manufacturing and quality control. Kuretake exports to 80+ countries and offers ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified quality management systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZIG by Kuretake: Expression Tool Brand for writing instruments including pens, markers, and brush pens, supporting writing, drawing, and coloring experiences.
• 顔彩耽美 (GANSAI TAMBI)
• くれ竹筆ぺん (Kuretake Fude Pen)

Products and services

• Kuretake Fude Pen (くれ竹筆ぺん) Disposable brush pen with a fibrous ink reservoir for calligraphy, lettering, and brush-lettering; used by individual artists, hobbyists, and calligraphers.
• ZIG Letter Pen COCOIRO Letter pen designed for brush lettering enthusiasts and calligraphers; sold to individual consumers and hobbyists.
• ORINOTE for Watercolor Watercolor notebook product for individual artists and hobbyists; part of the 2026 new product lineup.
• Makeup Fudepen (new color variants) Brush pens for makeup application, sold to individual consumers for cosmetic and beauty use.
• GANSAI TAMBI Granulating Colors 3 Granulating watercolor paint set under the GANSAI TAMBI brand; targeted at watercolor artists and illustrators.
• Black Twin Marker Set Twin-tip marker set for illustrators and manga artists; sold to individual artists and hobbyists.
• Yume Ginga

Quantifiable outcome

• Products distributed to over 80 countries worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Korean Folk Painting Association (韓国民画協会)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026Kuretake co-sponsored the 韓国民画協会 Exhibition 2026 'Stories of Color Resonating Through Time' held in Nara's Nakamachi district. The exhibition featured traditional Korean folk paintings (民画/minnga) and included factory tours at Kuretake headquarters, promoting cultural exchange through art and traditional crafts.
• Tenri University (天理大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2024Kuretake entered into a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Tenri University's Faculty of Foreign Studies, Korean Language Department. University students and faculty have provided translation support for event materials and interpretation services for the 韓国民画協会 exhibition and factory tours, facilitating cultural exchange between Japan and Korea.
• Studio KASHO (ガラス工房スタジオ嘉硝)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 文房五寶 collection featuring Japanese-made glass pens. Studio KASHO, a glass artisan workshop in Fukui Prefecture, produces glass pens using traditional techniques invented in 1902. The partnership combines Kuretake's ink expertise with artisan glass-making skills.
• Fukunishi Washi Honpo (福西和紙本舗)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for traditional Japanese paper (washi) used in 文房五寶 collection. The Nara-based paper maker has continued traditional hand-made washi techniques since the Edo period, producing paper using 楮 (paper mulberry) with white clay coating and sun-drying methods.
• Houkendo (宝研堂)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for inkstone (硯) production in the 文房五寶 collection. Houkendo, based in Miyagi Prefecture and Tokyo, produces inkstones from GENSAKU stone with superior ink-grinding performance, featuring unique spherical grinding surface design for modern lifestyles.
• Sugiura Seihitsusho (株式会社杉浦製筆所)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for premium calligraphy brushes in 文房五寶 collection. Located in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, the traditional craftsperson creates brushes featuring scarce itachi (weasel) tail hair for superior brush control and elasticity suitable for both kana and kanji writing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sakura Color Products: Japanese manufacturer of art materials, brush pens, markers, and stationery products including the Pigma Micron fineliner. Directly comparable to Kuretake as a Japan-based art supply and writing instrument maker with overlapping ZIG/Micron-style product lines and global distribution.
• Pentel: Japanese manufacturer of writing instruments including brush pens (Pentel Pocket Brush), markers, and art supplies. Comparable to Kuretake in its brush pen product category, traditional Japanese craftsmanship positioning, and global retail distribution.
• Tombow: Japanese stationery and writing instrument manufacturer known for MONO erasers, brush pens, and Dual Brush Pens for calligraphy and illustration. Directly competes with Kuretake in the brush pen and marker segment globally.
• Zebra Pen: Japanese pen manufacturer producing brush pens, ballpoint, and gel pens including the Zebra disposable calligraphy brush pen. Comparable product portfolio and Japanese heritage positioning in writing instruments.
• Copic (Too Corporation): Japanese manufacturer of professional alcohol-based markers and refillable inking tools widely used by illustrators and manga artists. Directly comparable to Kuretake's ZIG brush pen and manga product lines serving the same creator customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Pilot Corporation: Major Japanese pen manufacturer with a much broader portfolio (Namiki, Vanishing Point, FriXion, juice up). Comparable brush pen and calligraphy ink technologies but with significantly larger global scale across multiple writing categories.
• Faber-Castell: German global art supplies and writing instrument manufacturer with deep heritage. Comparable broad art/stationery portfolio (Pitt artist pens, Castell 9000) and global distribution, though much larger scale and broader than Kuretake.
• Staedtler: German writing and art supplies manufacturer known for pigment liners, fineliners, and traditional drafting tools. Comparable in its pigment/fineliner product overlap with Kuretake's ZIG line and global art-supply distribution.

Regional players

• Maruman Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of notebooks (Mnemosyne), sketchbooks, and art paper products. Comparable to Kuretake in its Japan-centric stationery and paper-based art product offerings, though more focused on paper goods.

Emerging players

• Winsor & Newton: UK-based fine art materials manufacturer (watercolors, inks, brushes). Comparable to Kuretake in the watercolor and professional artist ink category, particularly GANSAI TAMBI, with deep heritage and premium artist positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kuretakejapan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kuretake00
• Facebookfacebook.com/kuretake.jp
• Instagraminstagram.com/kuretakejapan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuretake

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kuretake