"I guess I just love making things."

Saying this, Kodama Yukio, a craftsman with 55 years of experience and 79 years old (at the time of the interview in 2022), laughs with wrinkles on his face.
He has always worked alone in a small, one-story wooden workshop in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture.

"I never had the slightest desire to hire more people or expand the factory. I just chose the things I wanted to do and the work I wanted to do."
Notes containing the dimensions of ordered products are left on the walls and pillars, and the factory, lined with worn-out machines, has a nostalgic atmosphere.

Kodama Chemical gave us a glimpse into the origins of Japanese manufacturing.
He started working in metal processing at the age of 24 and became independent at the age of 30.
Although tableware is now mainstream in Tsubame, when Kodama first began his career, craftsmen making tableware were rare.
Therefore, rather than taking an order and producing, they have been proposing things themselves and winning work.

Kodama's imagination and ability to propose ideas are truly at the level of an inventor. Nonoji's long-selling products, "Nonoji Refreshing Soft Ear Pick" and "Nonoji Callus Scraper Powder Snow-san," would not have been created without him.
"This happened a long time ago, but when I went to Nonoji's office, the previous president asked me if I could make an earpick with a wire structure. I had never made something that small before, so I thought, well, I don't know if I could do it, but I'll give it a try."

Kodama started by making a special machine.
After much trial and error, they were able to get the product ready for production three months later.
Once released, the Nonoji Refreshing Soft Earpick became an explosive hit.
At its peak, monthly production reached 100,000 units.

There is no doubt that the Nonoji earpick series is a masterpiece created by the collaboration between Kodama and Nonoji.
Furthermore, both "Nonoji Callus Remover Powder Snow-san" and "Nonoji Callus Remover Meccha Tore" are items that were created in collaboration with Mr. Kodama.

"Nonoji caused a lot of trouble. For the Nonoji Callus Scraper Powder Snow, we struggled to create the blade that scrapes the dead skin into powder. A mold is made to create the pyramid shape, but the mold gets ruined after 10,000 to 15,000 pieces are removed. Wear and tear is unavoidable. But we couldn't compromise on quality, so we thought of various ways to improve it. The key feature of the Nonoji Callus Scraper - Meccha-Tore is that the round blade is jagged, but it was too fine and the examiner at the Patent Office overlooked it. We resubmitted the application, asking them to look at it properly with a magnifying glass, and they finally noticed, and the patent was successfully granted."

Kodama has made his own molds, gone through a process of trial and error, and used his hands and brain to "make something better."
He says that in the 55 years since he started working in this field, he has hardly ever taken a break except for his hobby of golf.

"On my days off, I make molds. Like the one I just mentioned, sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. I've been repeating this process over and over, and before I knew it, more than 50 years have passed. I really love this job. It's the only way I can do it. When I wake up, all I think about is work."
A true craftsman who has survived through turbulent times.

Towards the end of the interview, Mr. Kodama happily told us:
"It's not a Nonoji product, but right now I'm making wine glasses that no one has ever made before. I want to create something that doesn't exist in the world now."