Chairman’s Message
Greeting
I would like to thank everyone for your continued patronage of our horse leather.
Since its establishment in 1951, SHINKI-HIKAKU Co., Ltd. has been a tannery dedicated to the production of horse leather through the constant improvement of our technology. With the help of many people’s opinions and repeated trial and error, all of us here are working hard to provide you with the highest quality cordovan and horsehide.
Since I took over my family’s horse leather production business, I have been determined to “make the best use of the byproducts of life” and to send out valuable horse leather to the world by sparing no effort and improving our technical skills.
Our tannery breathes soul back into raw hides after the animals have been processed for meat, turning their hides into “leather”. In the process, we put a lot of skill, passion, and time into improving the quality of the horse leather.
I believe that these values will continue being passed down for generations to come. We aim to be a corporate group that continues to grow sustainably into the future.
We look forward to your continued support.
Tsuneki Nitta, Chairman
History
The leather industry in the Takagi district of Himeji City on the banks of the Ichikawa River, which flows from the Ikuno Pass to Harima Nada (Eastern Seto Inland Sea) in the Chugoku mountain range, has a long history of more than 1500 years as a local industry. In 2018, SHINKI-HIKAKU celebrated the 30th anniversary of its establishment in this district where the rich and tradition of leather culture lives on.
| 1951 | Establishment of Nitta Shoten at 425 Takagi, Hanada-cho, Himeji-shi. |
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| 1970 | Three-story steel-framed factory built at 450 Takagi, Hanada-cho, Himeji-shi In the same year, changed the company name from Umakawa Seizo-Nitta Shoten to SHINKI-HIKAKU. |
| 1973 | Launch of test manufacturing of cordovan. |
| 1975 | Launch of full-scale production of cordovan crust leather in four wooden pits with maximum monthly production of 200 pieces. |
| 1980 | Establishment of a new two-story steel-framed factory (currently Factory No. 1) at 1166 Ogawa, Hanada-cho, Himeji City. Gradual increase of the number of wooden pits to 20 units, boosting maximum monthly production to 2,000 pieces of cordovan crust. |
| 1995 | Expansion of Factory No. 2. The 1st floor was equipped for chrome tanning and oiling and dyeing equipment for horse hides, and the 2nd floor with an automatic painting machine with dryer and other finishing process equipment. |
| 1998 | Completion of a technical course at a leather school in Lyon, France by current Senior Managing Director Yoshiki Nitta. Incorporation of the company and business name changed to SHINKI-HIKAKU Co., Ltd. Appointment of Tsuneki Nitta as President of the company. Appointment of Kiyoko Nitta as a Director. Appointment of Yoshiki Nitta as a Director. Launch of integrated production of horse leather from raw horsehide procurement to tanning and finishing. |
| 2005 | Expansion of Factory No. 3. The 3rd floor of the factory was equipped with a paint roll coater with dryer for cordovan. Opening of a new office on the 2nd floor and an atelier on the 1st floor. |
| 2007 | Appointment of Miyuki Nitta as a Director. |
| 2009 | Increase of the number of wooden pits in Factory No. 1 to 42. Expansion of production of horsehide crust to 1,000 pieces per month. |
| 2012 | Appointment of Mitsuyasu Kaneda as factory director. |
| 2013 | A part of Factory No. 3 was renovated into a special dust-proof room with humidity and temperature control, and an automatic coating machine with dryer for cordovan was added. |
| 2014 | SHINKI-HIKAKU selected as one of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s 100 Global Niche Top Companies in the Materials and Chemicals category. |
| 2015 | Launch of practical application tests for Kindai tuna and black bass skins |
| 2017 | Successful application and commercialization of Kindai tuna and black bass leather |
| 2018 | 30th anniversary of incorporation of SHINKI-HIKAKU Co., Ltd. |
| 2021 | Appointment of Tsuneki Nitta as Chairman. Appointment of Yoshiki Nitta as President of the company. |
