| Marusan Marusan Shoten Asakusa, Tokyo 1923-1968 Logo: SAN in a circle: SAN means three: In 1923, Naokichi Ishida founded Ishida Manufacturing. Production of toys. In 1933, his son, Haruyasu, took over the company, which became MARUSAN SHOTEN. The company specialised in optical toys, toy cameras and binoculars. In 1947, Ishidala re-founded the company with his brother and brother-in-law, optical toy production resumed and the production of tin toys was launched. In 1953, the tin Cadillac appeared, followed by numerous tin toys including the cars that made the brand’s reputation. This was followed by submarines, the Smoking series, battery-operated toys and the Bull Dog series. In 1958, the company started offering plastic dolls and model kits. The company went bankrupt in 1968. |