Onoto is a British brand of luxury fountain pens and accessories. Originally manufactured by Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited from 1905 until 1958, the brand was relaunched by "The Onoto Pen Company Limited", based in Colney Hall, Norwich in 2005. Onoto pens have been used by numerous notable people from history such as Field Marshal Douglas Haig and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Other famous names include Florence Nightingale, Edgar Wallace and Natsume Soseki, the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji Era.
The origin of the brand name Onoto is unknown. One suggestion is it is derived from Ono Tokusaburo, a Japanese watchmaker. Another theory is that it was a made-up name chosen specifically for its ease of pronunciation in order to boost global sales.
History
Early years
Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited, which was one of the world's largest printers of postage stamps, banknotes, and playing cards, had manufactured fountain pens for most of the later part of the 19th century. In 1881 it produced the Anti-Stylograph pre-dating Lewis Waterman's first pen by three years. These writing instruments were well received throughout the British Empire and around the globe.
The Onoto pen was invented by George Sweetser, a mechanical engineer, in 1905.