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Shunichi Nakata founded The Platinum Pen Company, one of Japan's leading quality fountain pen manufacturers, in 1919 at about the same time as Pilot and Sailor.
Platinum's early success came from selling fountain pens by mail order to remote parts of Japan and overseas where it was difficult to find fountain pens. They also made pens for the posh Tokyo department stores.
Platinum began producing Maki-e lacquer pens in the early 1930's after seeing Pilot's great sucess. However the war brought a complete halt to production.
During the war, Nakata manufactured Zero fighter planes for the Imperal Japanese Air Force. After the war, Nakata resumed fountain pen production and in 1948 launched the first water based ballpoint pen.
Toshihiro Nakata took over the company from his father, and soon developed a rollerball known as the Auto pen in 1966. More than one billion were sold by 1980. During the 1960's and 1970's, Platinum manufactured a wide range of leather pens called the Amazonas. They were covered in either snake, lizard, shark, crocodile, or Surinam toadskin.
Platinum still produces pens today, and the Kamakura
Pens Limited Edition was based on Platinum's music fountain pen.