is a Japanese manufacturing company headquartered in Morinomiya-chūō, Chūō-ku, Osaka, which produces a variety of stationery products as well a wide range of art materials. Nevertheless, Sakura is mostly known by its marker pens, such as the Pigma line.Sakura Pigna Micron review by Alan Lee, January 2016
History The company started as a crayon manufacturer in 1921. By 1924, Sakura invented the first-ever oil pastel that combined oil and pigment, which was patented globally as the "" trademark.
In 1982, the firm launched its famous Pigma marker pen lines.Sakura Pigma: a comprehensive guide on JetPens In 1984, Sakura invented the first gel-based ink, featured in its new ballpoint pens lines. Gel ink pens are currently produced by many stationery companies.
In 1991 Sakura acquired the Dutch company Royal Talens, and in 1997 the Dutch pencil maker .
The North-American division of the company, "Sakura Color Products of America, Inc." was established in Hayward, California in 1986. Other division of Sakura in Asia, "Shanghai Sakura International Trading Co., Ltd. ()" was established in Shanghai, China in 2002.
Products
The following is a list with the large range of products commercialized by Sakura:
Category Products Pens Ballpoint pens, gel ink pens, refills Pencils Mechanical pencils, colored pencils Markers Water based and permanent marker pens, highlighters, brush pens Writing accessories Erasers, whiteboard erasers, glue pens Art materials Crayons, pastels, oil pastels, water colors, acrylic paints, gouaches, oil paints, water-soluble printing colors, brushes, palettes
Cray-Pas Wonderful, Colorful World Contest Sakura of America started the annual national art contest in the United States in 1996. The contest is open to all U.S. students grades K through 8 to create a picture that is drawn mostly with oil pastels, preferably Cray-Pas. The judging is done by separate grade categories: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Three winners in each category are medalists and 25 more students are awarded honorable mention. There have been 17,000 submissions each year with winning entries displayed online and some have been published in printed material.
References
External links
Sakura of America