As I search other pen seller auctions I regularly see descriptions that go something like this:

"This is a Pilot Capless fountain pen made before Namiki bought the company."

I shudder every time I see these descriptions. I do not now where this disinformation came from, or why it is so prevalent, but it is very wrong.

To put it simply, Pilot and Namiki are the same company. Currently they are different divisions under the same roof, but there is only one headquarters and one factory.  All the pens are made at the same place.  For tax purposes, nearly all Japanese companys have a smaller sister company.  Under the current system, Namiki is the division of the company responsible for the high-end makie pens and international sales. Pilot is responsible for domestic pens, pencils, and office supplies, but again, it is the same company and everything is made at one place.

Historically, the company was founded in 1918 as the Namiki Mfg. Co. Lmtd. Their first product was a ruling pen with iridium tips. Ryousuke Namiki, the founder, had learned of the importance of the ultra hard metal while working in the Japanese Naval Acadamy, and when he saw an opportunity to invest in a piece of land in Hokkaido with iridium deposits, he jumped at the chance. Within a year he was making fountain pens, and the first one was known as the Pilot Pen.

One of the first logos was a life perserver with the letter N in the center.

If you find a Pilot pen with this imprint, you can assume that it was made before 1938.

In 1938, Namiki retired from the company. The company became a public enterprise and the name was changed to the Pilot Pen Company. To signify the change, the logo was changed; Namiki's N was changed to Pilot's P

If you find a Pilot pen with this logo in the imprint or on a box, you can assume that it was made after 1938.

In the late 1970s, as the Japanese economy was growing and the tax laws were changing, Piot started the Namiki division within the company.

Nevertheless, under the name Pilot or Namiki, you can rest assured that the pens are of great quality.