In the early 1820s, British physicist Faraday discovered that adding 1 to 3 percent chromium to iron produced a rust-resistant steel alloy.
This is said to be the beginning of stainless steel.
Since then, stainless steel has continued to evolve, and now stainless steel products account for 95% of all Western tableware produced.

Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, is a major production center for stainless steel processed products and is home to many specialists in materials, pressing, drawing, spinning, welding, polishing, cleaning, and surface treatment.
Kasahara Press Industry (whose head office and factory has now moved to Yahiko Village) is taking advantage of Tsubame's unique manufacturing network to meet all needs for stainless steel products.

The company was founded in 1968 (Showa 43). Currently, they produce over 100 stainless steel products, but the origins of their manufacturing began with okonomiyaki spatulas.
"We still produce them today, but our business started with okonomiyaki spatulas. At one point, we held 70 to 80 percent of the domestic market share. From there, we branched out into stainless steel accessories such as mugs, tongs, and barware. Recently, with the increased demand for camping due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production of Sierra cups has skyrocketed. At our peak, we were producing 20,000 units per month."
This is what Yoshiaki Kasahara, the second-generation president and CEO of Kasahara Press Kogyo, said.

The company has a long history with Nonoji, and is the creator of one of its signature works, "Nonoji Whale Tong."
"Our job is to cut stainless steel sheets to a fixed length using a die, then go through processes such as pressing, rolling, polishing and cleaning to finish the product. Of course, this is just the basic process, and there are about nine different types of surface treatments alone, including mirror finishing and electrolytic finishing."

Although some processes are outsourced, Kasahara Press Industry's strength lies in its consistent in-house system.
This is because we can consider, propose, and build a manufacturing line that suits the order, ensuring high quality.

"For example, the polishing process for Nonoji Whale Tongs is different from that of regular tongs. Generally, the surface is passed through a vibrating barrel to give it an even shine, but in the case of Nonoji Whale Tongs, the surface is polished with a buff, starting with 180 grit, then 250 grit, then 320 grit, and so on, gradually becoming finer. This takes time and money, but it ultimately results in a beautifully polished surface. Furthermore, because the boards used for Nonoji Whale Tongs are thick, the edges (the burrs that form when the material is processed) need to be thoroughly polished for safety reasons, which means there are even more steps involved compared to other tongs."
In order to maintain Nonoji quality, it takes a lot of effort.

Furthermore, it is not a matter of simply increasing the amount of work required; what is needed is know-how and technology based on experience, such as "If we add this process, the finished product will be like this."

"I once thought about what our strengths are, and I thought it was probably our strong problem-solving ability. We have produced a considerable number of stainless steel accessories, so we have accumulated a huge amount of know-how. When we are faced with a problem, we have the know-how and technology to deal with it. I think that is our strength. But it was Nonoji who gave us that know-how. Nonoji has ideas that we would never think of. When you look at any of their products, you can see that they are extremely particular about ease of use, functionality, and beautiful appearance. Their ability to create never-before-seen shapes and products inspires us every day."