For Individual Investors

What kind of company is Ichimasa Kamaboko?

Ichimasa Kamaboko began its history in 1965 when its founder Shohei Nozaki left his family’s company, Nozaki Kamaboko K.K., to go into business for himself. He started Ichimasa Kamaboko, thinking, “The kamaboko industry needs to adopt a modern management style as other industries do. To that end, we must transition from the kamaboko manufacturing process based on artisans’ instinct to one based on scientific technology.” Since its foundation, Ichimasa Kamaboko has striven to treat everyone as its customer and live up to their expectations and trust with the spirit of sincerity, humility and gratitude, based on its founder’s belief, “Life is like an echo.”

As a company that started with a production process based on scientific technology and out-of-the-box thinking, we have actively taken on the challenge of implementing new technologies. Examples of this mindset include using frozen fish mince, switching to mass production equipment, implementing a retort manufacturing process (retort food) to address changing customer needs, and entering the maitake mushroom market in response to the rise in health consciousness.
Although not all of our attempts have been successful, this history of developing innovations and progressing through trial and error is part of our DNA.

We have also proactively worked to expand our sales network. In 1971, six years after our foundation, we set out from our home base of Niigata and established sales offices in Tokyo and Nagoya. After that, we opened sales locations across Japan, but thanks to the advancement of transportation networks and information technology, we consolidated our locations and today we have eight branches in major cities around the country. To keep pace with our aggressive efforts to expand sales across Japan, we rolled out manufacturing bases in Hokkaido prefecture and the Kansai region (Shiga prefecture) in addition to Niigata prefecture. Currently we manufacture products in six factories (Fish-Paste Product and Prepared Foods Business) and one cultivation center (Mushroom Business). In 2023, we plan to start operation of our headquarters factory No. 2 as a specialized factory for crab-flavored kamaboko, one of our flagship products.

Ichimasa Kamaboko manufactures and sells mainly fish-paste products such as Salad Stick, which boasts the top share in crab-flavored kamaboko, for supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers, and has the second highest share in the fish-paste product industry. Our products also include prepared retort food, including goma dofu (a tofu-like dish made with sesame and kuzu), and snack foods, including Karikko Iwashi (sardine chips). In addition, the maitake business that we launched in 1996 has the third place position in the industry. Besides selling fresh maitake mushrooms, we also sell dietary supplements containing maitake extract that are packed with its nutrients.

More about our products

Ichimasa Kamaboko’s Strengths

Ichimasa Kamaboko’s 4 Keywords

Our mindset and approach for producing foods is to constantly strive for great taste and safety.

Placing importance on transparency of food safety, we pursue stable quality that meets customer expectations.

We develop products that are healthy for both mind and body, based on a high-quality food manufacturing process that ensures our food is safe and secure.

Placing importance on the natural environment, we carry out activities that take into consideration the environment in the future, with coexistence and co-prosperity as our corporate stance.

Ichimasa Kamaboko Today

*The Company has adopted the “Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition” (ASBJ Statement No. 29, March 31, 2020) and related guidelines effective the beginning of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.

Net sales: 31.6 billion yen

Operating profit: 500 million yen

Financial highlights

Segment Information

Vision
Gain an enormous competitive advantage for our flagship product Salad Stick Conduct technological research and product development in pursuit of health functions of fish protein Provide value with new environmentally friendly, sustainable foods

Vision
Develop a smart factory managed and optimized with AI and IoT Increase added value of our maitake mushroom brand by pursuing great taste and nutritional functions Build an environmentally friendly circular business

ICHIMASA REIZO CO., LTD.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Ichimasa Kamaboko that handles transportation and warehousing

Ichimasa Kamaboko in the Future

In 2015, Ichimasa Kamaboko celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Aiming to achieve new growth by our 100th anniversary, we formulated ICHIMASA 30 Vision in 2016, which sets out where we want to be in fiscal 2045. Based on this long-term vision, the Ichimasa Group examines issues with a backcasting approach, and incorporates strategies and tactics to resolve said issues into medium-term management plans.
The ICHIMASA 30 Vision is divided into three 10-year stages. The first stage is subdivided into 1st and 2nd medium-term management plans, each lasting five years. In June 2020, we completed the 1st Medium-term Management Plan of the First Stage, and currently we are carrying out the 2nd Medium-term Management Plan (2021-2026). The Ichimasa Group will continue taking on challenges for the future.

Our Goals for FY2045
ICHIMASA 30 Vision

Global Company: Global Company sharing the beauty of Japanese “food” throughout the world by focusing on caring about “safety & security” , “health & the environment” and “emotional fulfillment”

Food Science Company: A food science company continuously pursuing technology and disseminating all kinds of “food” information for future

Warm-hearted Company: A warm-hearted company delivering “happiness” and pleasure of food to every customer and stakeholder

Shareholder Returns Policy

Basic Policy on Dividends

Recognizing the return of profits to shareholders as a key business issue, a resolution was passed at a General Meeting of Shareholders to continue distributing stable dividends as a basic policy while taking into consideration the company’s performance and future capital requirements.

Shareholder Benefits

We provide shareholder benefits so that shareholders can gain a better understanding of our businesses by using our products.
Every year we send Ichimasa Kamaboko products as gifts to shareholders who have held 100 shares or more continuously for at least six months as of June 30 under the following conditions.

Eligible shareholders	Shareholders who have held 100 shares or more continuously for at least six months(1)as of June 30 each year
Details of benefits	The Company sends a detailed guide around September every year, from which the following products can be chosen. ●Ambient temperature products　●Osechi products　 ●Refrigerated products　●Donation to an organization that carries out social contribution activities
No. of shares held continuously(2)	Shareholders who have held 100 shares or more continuously for at least six months (1)as of June 30 each year 100 – 499 shares 1,000 yen equivalent 500 – 999 shares 3,000 yen equivalent 1,000 shares or more 5,000 yen equivalent

1“Held continuously for at least six months” means that the record on the list of shareholders for December 31 and June 30 has had the same shareholder number consecutively at least two times as of the last day of June every year.

2“No. of shares held continuously” means the smallest number of shares held by a shareholder who has held 100 shares or more continuously as of the two most recent record dates (December 31 and June 30) in which the shareholder number is the same.

●Ambient temperature products