Potloth

…The next time they were introduced was at the end of the Edo period, when they were called slate pencils. Slate pencil is a translation of the Dutch word potloot (meaning potter's lead), and was originally the product name Potloth for Spanish graphite. There are descriptions such as "Hotrow" (Kiyu Shoran) and "Pottrode" (Rigaku Teyo), and it is said that "in the early Meiji period, they were simply called pottrodes, and were not called pencils, but were simply retractable pencils with ivory shafts" (Meiji Jibutsu Kigen). …

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Potloth" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…次いで渡来したのは幕末で，当時は石筆と呼ばれた。石筆はオランダ語potloot(陶工の鉛の意)の訳語で，もとはスペイン産黒鉛の商品名Potlothであった。〈ホットロウ〉(《嬉遊笑覧》)，〈剝篤羅阿渡（ポツトロード）〉(《理学提要》)などの記述がみられ，〈明治初年のは，只ポットロードと呼びて，鉛筆の名もなく，象牙軸のくり出し式のものゝみなり〉(《明治事物起原》)という。…

※「Potloth」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報