The competition culminated in 1966-67 with two legendary models still made today: Mitsubishi's Hi-Uni and Tombow's MONO 100. "The ideal pencil would have '6B blackness with 9H hardness ...

The main players in the Japanese stationery game are Pentel, Tombow and Pilot – though ... from savouring the dregs of their favourite pencil and drawing with approximately three centimetres ...