Marufuku is a name shared by several distinct Japanese companies, each with its own visual identity. The most prominent of these is Marufuku Seicha Co., Ltd., a green tea wholesaler founded in 1955 by Enji Ito in Shizuoka, Japan, which has been producing high-grade Japanese green tea for nearly 70 years.[1] Because the name “Marufuku” is used across unrelated businesses, the logo history below focuses on the documented identities of the most notable entities bearing this name.
Design and History
Marufuku Seicha (Tea Company)
Marufuku Seicha filed a trademark for the word “MARUFUKU” with the World Intellectual Property Organization on October 13, 2023.[2] The trademark registration describes the mark as consisting of “a circle containing a square with a four-pointed star-like shape set therein,” with the English translation of “MARUFUKU” given as “circle fortune.”[3] This geometric mark, combining circular and square elements, is the current registered visual identity for the tea company.
Fukuoka Marufuku Suisan (Seafood Company)
A separate entity, Fukuoka Marufuku Suisan Co., Ltd., a seafood processing company in Fukuoka, received a logo designed by the Japanese design firm Aedi. The logo was selected from approximately 190 design proposals.[4] The design features a blue circle representing the world’s oceans, with three lines symbolizing waves and seafood, together portraying the Fukuoka Marufuku Suisan brand.[4]
Marufuku Jirushi (Nintendo’s Early Brand)
Historically, “Marufuku” was also the name of one of Nintendo’s middle-class brands of hanafuda and other playing card decks. The Marufuku jirushi (丸福印, “Marufuku mark”) brand was unique in that the brand name was not explicitly written on the label; instead, it was represented solely by the Marufuku logo.[5] This trademark logo featured a stylized version of the Japanese kanji character fuku (福, meaning “fortune” or “luck”) inside a circle, and was predominantly used as signage on Nintendo’s first headquarters in Kyoto.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The name “Marufuku” combines two Japanese words: “Maru” (circle, purity, completeness) and “Fuku” (luck, fortune).[7] This meaning is reflected in the trademark translation of “MARUFUKU” as “circle fortune.”[3] For the Fukuoka Marufuku Suisan logo, the blue circle specifically represents the world’s oceans, and the three lines symbolize waves and seafood.[4]
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