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In the early 1900s it entered the fountain pen market by importing pens as a Japanese retailer of [[Onoto]] and [[Waterman]]'s; in the late 1910s, ''[[Maruzen]]'' decided to also start a production of pens under its own brand name, using the brand names ''"[[Albion]]"'' and ''"[[Maruzen Orion|Orion]]"'', made of black chased hard rubber with eyedropper filler.

In the early 1900s it entered the fountain pen market by importing pens as a Japanese retailer of [[Onoto]] and [[Waterman]]'s; in the late 1910s, ''[[Maruzen]]'' decided to also start a production of pens under its own brand name, using the brand names ''"[[Albion]]"'' and ''"[[Maruzen Orion|Orion]]"'', made of black chased hard rubber with eyedropper filler.

Nel [[1919]] Maruzen lancia sul mercato quella che sarà la linea di stilografiche più longeva della sua storia, la ''"[[Athena]] The Pen"'' (diventata poi semplicemente [[Athena]]). Le primissime [[Athena]] prodotte erano in ebanite nera cesellata con caricamento a contagocce oppure a contagocce retrattili (tipo safety pen) e successivamente vennero prodotte anche a caricamento con sacchetto d'inchiostro a torsione ed a levetta. Della metà degli anni trenta sono le [[Athena Rinascimento]], in ebanite liscia solitamente rivestita di uno strato di lacca ''[[urushi]]'', caricamento a levetta o a contagocce.

In [[1919]] ''Maruzen'' launched what would be the longest-running fountain pen line in its history, the ''"[[Athena]] The Pen"'' (which later became simply [[Athena]]). The very first [[Athena]] produced were black chased hard rubber pens with either eyedropper filler or security eyedropper (safety pen type) and later were also produced twist filler and lever filler fountain pens. From the mid-1930s are the [[Athena Renaissance]], made of smooth ebonite usually coated with a layer of ''[[urushi]]'' lacquer, made with twist filler or eyedropper filler.

Il [[1937]] è l'anno in cui ''Maruzen'' rileva la fabbrica nella quale fino ad allora venivano realizzate le penne a loro marchio ed inizia così la produzione in proprio.  

The [[1937]] is the year when ''[[Maruzen]]'' took over the factory in which their branded pens had been made until then and thus began their own production.  

Al termine della guerra viene costruito un nuovo stabilimento vicino a Tokyo (il precedente era andato distrutto dagli eventi bellici) e le stilografiche della linea [[Athena]], negli anni ’50, subiscono un nuovo restyling: affiancate alle classiche in ebanite e lacca ''[[urushi]]'', vi sono quelle realizzate in [[celluloide]] colorata oppure in plastica trasparente, ed i cappucci iniziano ad essere realizzati in metallo dorato o nichelato.

At the end of the war, a new factory was built near Tokyo (the previous one had been destroyed by the war events), and fountain pens in the [[Athena]] line underwent a new restyling in the 1950s: alongside the classic ebonite and lacquer ''[[urushi]]''' fountain pens, there were those made of colored [[celluloid]] or transparent plastic, and the caps began to be made of gold or nickel-plated metal.

La produzione di stilografiche sembra arrestarsi ad inizio degli anni sessanta, probabilmente dovuta all'introduzione delle penne a sfera, ma in anni recenti ''Maruzen'' è uscita con stilografiche personalizzate e/o in edizione limitata (con l'aggiunta del proprio marchio), prodotte di volta in volta da aziende note come [[Pilot]], [[Sailor]] e [[Platinum]], ed anche con case europee come [[Pelikan]]. Ha continuato la vendita di inchiostri a marchio Athena Ink, alcuni dei quali realizzati ad esempio da [[Sailor]].

Fountain pen production seemed to stop in the early 1960s, probably due to the introduction of ballpoint pens, but in recent years ''Maruzen'' has come out with customized and/or limited edition fountain pens (with its own brand name added), produced from time to time by well-known companies such as [[Pilot]], [[Sailor]] and [[Platinum]], and also with European houses such as [[Pelikan]]. It continued the sale of Athena Ink brand inks, some of which were made, for example, by [[Sailor]].

Oggi ''Maruzen'' è un grande catena libraria e di materiale per cancelleria, sparsa su tutto il territorio giapponese con circa una cinquantina di punti vendita.

Today ''Maruzen'' is a large book and stationery material chain, spread throughout Japan with about fifty outlets.

==External references==

==External references==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130720025737/http://www.maruzen.co.jp:80/corp/en/aboutus/history.html] Company history from its old website

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130720025737/http://www.maruzen.co.jp:80/corp/en/aboutus/history.html] Company history from its old website

*  [https://web.archive.org/web/20050502010013/http://www.pentrace.net:80/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=357&tname=Ron+Dutcher+on+Pens] A page with a bit of the company history

*  [https://web.archive.org/web/20050502010013/http://www.pentrace.net:80/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=357&tname=Ron+Dutcher+on+Pens] A page with a bit of the company history

* [https://forum.fountainpen.it/viewtopic.php?t=32073] Detailed presentation on the forum with many historical notes

* [https://forum.fountainpen.it/viewtopic.php?t=32073] Detailed presentation on the forum with many historical notes

<noinclude>{{BrandData|Founder=Yuteki Hayashi|Date=1869|ProdDate=1915|Place=Yokohama|Country=JP}}

<noinclude>{{BrandData|Founder=Yuteki Hayashi|Date=1869|ProdDate=1915|Place=Yokohama|Country=JP|Trademarks=Athena,Albion,Maruzen Orion}}

{{CategorizeBrand|Giappone|Secondary brand}}</noinclude>

{{CategorizeBrand|Giappone|Secondary brand}}</noinclude>