Holbein

Holbein is a Japanese art-materials brand whose name derives from the Renaissance artist Hans Holbein (1497-1543). Its corporate history traces back to 1900, when founder Minekichi Yoshimura established Yoshimura Minekichi Shōten in Osaka and began wholesaling and retailing stationery. The group today comprises Holbein Gahō Co., Ltd. (art materials), Holbein Kōgyō Co., Ltd. (manufacturing), and Holbein Lab Co., Ltd. (research and development). Holbein Gahō's stated philosophy is to stimulate imagination and creativity through color and to contribute to the integration of people and culture. Its product range covers oil paints, watercolors, acrylics, colored pencils, pastels, and related art materials, sold through distributors and art-supply retailers in Japan and exported to North America, Canada, South Korea, and Europe.

The history of the Holbein companies begins in 1900, when founder Minekichi Yoshimura established Yoshimura Minekichi Shōten in Nakanoshima, Osaka, and started wholesaling and retailing stationery. Yoshimura had left his home in Naga, Wakayama Prefecture, at age 16 and worked at a timber merchant in Utsubo, Osaka, before going independent in shipping; he later married the daughter of Tsujimoto Stationery Store in Shinsaibashi and entered the stationery and then art-materials trade. Soon after founding, the business began manufacturing metal stationery clips and split pins, and produced Western-bound notebooks marketed as "university notebooks." By the early Taishō period (around 1912), the store operated as both a manufacturer and wholesaler. Western painting materials were mainly imported paints, with German brands Behrend & Haber and Schmincke as representative examples, while domestic paints included Sakuragi oil and watercolor paints; brushes were handled as an agency for Asao Hachiundō of Tokyo. The KA series of oil painting brushes still sold today takes its product number from the initials AK of Asao Kinshirō, founder of Asao Hachiundō. After the Great Kantō Earthquake of September 1, 1923, Yoshimura expanded actively into Tokyo. On August 24, 1924, Minekichi Yoshimura died at age 51, and the business was reorganized as Yoshimura Gōmei Kaisha. A general product catalog issued in 1935 (Shōwa 10) carried the company name Yoshimura Yōga Zairyōten. The current corporate structure includes Holbein Gahō Co., Ltd. (founded September 1, 1900; incorporated January 8, 1951), Holbein Kōgyō Co., Ltd. (founded 1900; incorporated October 11, 1946), and Holbein Lab Co., Ltd. (incorporated September 1, 2022).

Provider of high-quality color materials and art materials for artists, from beginners to professional painters.

• Watercolor pencils

• Artist colored pencils

• Watercolor palette with removable compartments

• Oil paints, watercolors, painting mediums, acrylic paints, colored pencils, pastels

1. 1ホルベイン オフィシャルウェブサイトholbein.co.jp
2. 2ブランドストーリー|ホルベイン オフィシャルウェブサイトholbein.co.jp
3. 3会社概要|ホルベイン オフィシャルウェブサイトholbein.co.jp
4. 4会社概要|ホルベイン オフィシャルウェブサイトholbein.co.jp