Kowa (company)

Kowa Company, Ltd. (Japanese: 興和株式会社) is a Japanese specialized trading company and manufacturer. Its headquarters are located in Nagoya, the capital of Japan's Aichi prefecture.[1]

Kowa logo
For other uses, see Kowa.

Overview
A Kowa TSN-774 spotting scope.
A Kowa TSN-774 spotting scope being used for digiscoping.

Kowa Company is the core of the umbrella Kowa Group.[2] Other companies within the group include Kowa's sibling firm Kowabo Company, Ltd.[3] and the consolidated subsidiary Kowa Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd..[4] Its predecessor, Hattori Kensaburo Shoten, notably supported the industrialist Sakichi Toyoda's development of his automatic loom.[5] The business is divided into trading and manufacturing divisions. The trading company division trades in fibers, machines, building materials, watercraft, mineral resources, chemical materials, and everyday goods. Meanwhile, the manufacturing division produces medicine, medical equipment, optical instruments, and energy-saving products.

Marketing of Kowa medical products under such brand names as Colgen Kowa and Cabagin Kowa[6] via nationwide TV commercials increased the company's brand recognition. The company also manufactures and sells Prominar-brand camera lenses, spotting scopes, and video equipment that is used by NHK and various commercial TV and radio stations.[7][8]

Kowa is the largest shareholder in both Bull-Dog Sauce Co. and Meito Sangyo Co., with which it shares cross ownership. The company also owned the now-defunct radio station RADIO-i.[9]

History

Predecessor company
  • 1894: Fiber wholesaler Hattori Kensaburo Shoten (Japanese: 服部兼三郎商店) is established in Nagoya[2]
  • 1912: Reorganized and established as a corporation, Hattori Shoten Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社服部商店)
  • 1919: Added a spinning operation
  • 1920: Founder Hattori Kensaburo kills himself at age 51 after facing bankruptcy[5]

Current corporation
  • 1939: Trading division separated and established as Kaneka Hattori Shoten Company, Ltd.
  • 1943: Name changed to Kofu Sangyo Company, Ltd.
  • 1945: Expanded beyond textiles
  • 1960: Name changed to Kowa Company, Ltd.

Promotion

Kowa's mascot is a frog often referred to as Kero-chan.[10] In 2020, Kowa acquired the naming rights for a Nagoya baseball stadium, now known as the Vantelin Dome Nagoya, after one of its pharmaceutical products.[11]

References
  1. Japan Trade Directory. JETRO. 1994.
  2. "CRAiLAR Technologies signs fiber supply agreement with Japan's Kowa Company". SCNow. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  3. "Kowabo KK - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  4. "Japan expected to see record number of M&A deals in 2021". Kyodo News. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  5. "明治名古屋を彩る どえりゃー商人 服部兼三郎が興和の前身を創業". Nagoya Rekishi (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  6. Ohtsuka, K. (1984). The Comprehensive Directory of Japanese Pharmaceutical & Related Firms. Technomic.
  7. Callahan, David (2014-08-14). A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-8665-7.
  8. Tangcay, Jazz (2020-11-24). "Beyoncé's 'Black Is King' — Behind the Visuals With DP Santiago Gonzalez". Variety. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  9. "History of the Kowa Group (2000-2004:Arrival of the 21st Century)". kowa.com. 2011. Kowa Co., Ltd. fully entered the FM radio broadcasting business through Aichi International Broadcasting Co., Ltd. The broadcasting range of the company covers the whole Chubu region.
  10. Harrison, Edward (2010-07-15). "Pharmacy Mascots". GaijinPot InJapan. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  11. 湯野, 康隆 (2020-12-10). "興和がナゴヤドームのネーミングライツ取得、「バンテリンドーム ナゴヤ」に". トラベル Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-10-18.
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