We make paper like no one else can!

Heiwa Genshi Co., Ltd.

4069 Okina, Hidaka-mura
Takaoka-gun, Kochi, JAPAN 781-2152

Tel 0889-24-5546
Fax 0889-24-4349

Founded: September 1955
Homepage: http://www.heiwagenshi.jp

Main Business
Pulp, paper, paper product processing

(Photo: View of Heiwa Genshi from the northwest side of the company' s complex of factory, office and warehouse complex.)

From grandfather to father

People who were born in the 1940s to 1970s may remember using classroom materials, including tests, printed on mimeograph paper. Mimeograph printing was used at all schools in Japan and was commonly called "Gariban," from the "gari gari" sound of stencil writing.

Our company was founded as Kohan Genshi Kenkyusho, Ltd. in 1955, when the use of mimeograph printing was spreading quickly throughout Japan. The main business then was manufacturing genshi base paper (waxed mulberry paper), which was in high demand for the leading printing method. We also continued to study and develop products to suit the needs of the time. The company's name was changed to Heiwa Genshi in 1970 by the founder, who is the grandfather of the current president, in the strong belief that there would be no prosperity without heiwa, which means peace in Japanese. The name change showed the sincere desire of the founder, who survived the devastating experience of war.

The founder was succeeded as president by his son in 1983. Heiwa Genshi continued to research and develop other types of paper products and obtained utility model rights to paper fax (a mimeograph printing method, not the current facsimile paper) base paper and a patent for base paper for word processor type mimeograph. In the mid-1980s, most printing methods changed to offset printing from mimeograph. The company found new ways to utilize in cosmetics products the paper processing techniques we had acquired over the years. We were licensed to manufacture cosmetics in 1990 and began producing face powder paper on a commercial basis. Since then, our primary line of business has been as an OEM maker for major Japanese cosmetics companies. At the same time, we continue to develop a variety of paper uses, aiming to become a unique paper specialist.

The third generation, from father to son

Daisuke Yamaoka is the third president of the company. He began working for Heiwa Genshi immediately after graduating from college. He was very grateful because he believed that the company was a gift his grandfather and father had left him. Yamaoka worked under the instruction of his father, shifting the main line of business from making genshi base paper to processing paper products. He continued making changes in the business, adapting to the times and needs of customers before becoming the third president of the company in 2011. He was 42 years old, the same age his father was when he took over as president.

Under Daisuke's leadership, the firm adopted a new business style that offers clients the benefits of a service company, in addition to being a manufacturer with expertise in paper processing.

(Photo: President Daisuke Yamaoka)

Vertical coater

Mainly used for face masks and Metal Care Sheets. The machine is used in the impregnation and coating process for unwoven cloth and thick paper. A special feature of the machine is a 10-meter-high drying furnace which enables the coating amount to be freely controlled. It is made to order by a local machine manufacturer, and enables operations that standard devices in the same category cannot. It is the only machine of its type in the world.

"The rolling speed is far slower than that of machines currently used by other firms, but this machine has functions only old ones could have," says Daisuke Yamaoka somewhat affectionately.

Horizontal coater

Specialized processing machine for Handy Soap Sheets, Eco-Fusen paper balloons, and Nail Care Sheets. It is narrower in width than the vertical coater so it's better for processing small-lot orders. The company usually uses the horizontal coater to conduct trials, and once the processing specifications are determined, manufacturing is done by the vertical coater.

Dryer-type coater

The machine makes oil blotting paper with pressed powder and face powder paper. It enables various types of powder to be coated on relatively thin paper as well as paper with low levels of water resistance.

Because it is the only machine of its type in the world

The majority of our business is done on an OEM basis, and the company has about 20 clients whom we supply that way on a continual basis. Cosmetics products comprise about 80% of our operations. While we make products for major manufacturers, we have also begun selling scented masks under our own label.

Our three major cosmetics products are oil blotting paper, face powder paper and facial packs. Each product requires the application of powder evenly on paper. Only Heiwa Genshi has such technology, and our machines do the processing. Mass production is not possible because of the detailed skills and technology needed. Daisuke Yamaoka emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity, saying, "Small-lot orders are usually difficult and tedious to fulfill. They do not yield profit easily, though we are thankful for them because they show the clients trust our technology. Our machines are old and do not handle well large orders that require a fast turnaround, though they can satisfy complex and specific orders." He also says that he wants to give added value and functionality to the company's products to differentiate them from mass-produced merchandise. He is confident about the products that only the machines at Heiwa Genshi can make, and continues to search for business opportunities that large manufacturers won't be able to take advantage of.

Original products

Metal Care Sheet
Removes dirt and shines tarnished precious metal accessories just by wiping them with a sheet.
The oil from natural plants brings back the luster. Dual-side use. Comes in a case of 20 sheets.
Size: 80 x 80 x 7 (mm)

Nail Care Sheet
Easy-to-use sheet for nail polishing. Natural wax brings out the beautiful luster of nails. Comes in a case of 15 sheets.
Size: 80 x 80 x 7 (mm)

(Photo: Metal Care Sheet (left) and Nail Care Sheet)

Handy Soap Sheet
Take-along soap you can use anytime, anywhere.
The ingredients of soap are impregnated into a water-soluble paper so it won't produce trash. Two package designs are available. Comes in a case of 5 sheets.
Size: 50 x 80 (mm)

Eco-Fusen paper balloons

Eco-Fusen paper balloons are not paper balloons you blow up yourself and bounce on your palm. They are inflated by helium gas like a rubber balloon, but are made of paper and fly in the sky.

Made from 100% natural ecological fiber, the balloons are biodegradable and return to nature when they fall into the ocean or a forest. You can write or draw on them because they are made of paper. Eco-Fusen balloons are perfect for school and local events because everyone, adults and children alike, will look up into the sky to see them when they are released. Our Eco-Fusen balloons evoke dreams in the hearts of children and bring back memories of childhood for adults.

(Photo: Eco-Fusen paper balloons fly at a special event held at Osaki Grade School in Niyodogawa-cho Township in January 2014. The school is no longer operating due to a merger with another grade school in March 2014.)

Do work other people don't want to do!

In the Yamaoka family, the grandfather dedicated himself to making genshi base paper for mimeograph printing. The father worked in paper product processing. The son, the third generation of Yamaokas in the business, focuses on making cosmetics products that require sophisticated coating techniques.

Daisuke Yamaoka tells the story of the company's business over three generations. He cherishes the continuation of skills passed on from the time of his grandfather. No matter how times change, he will not forget the origin of the company as a maker of genshi base paper for mimeograph printing. That is the reason why the company name continues to be Genshi, even though its main business has shifted to the processing of paper products from the manufacture of genshi base paper.

"Learning the skills of the past is important in this business. You can't just make products with how-to manuals," Yamaoka says. He also considers the business to be in the service industry, providing manufacturing upon request. "We often receive difficult orders from our clients. They want to make new products so we get information which is in the technical forefront of the industry when we collaborate on developing them. We accumulate knowledge and know-how working on trial products. One out of 100 trial products is actually put on the market. But the other 99 are not a total waste. We can use some of the knowledge learned from them in the future. We appreciate client requests for making trial products," says Yamaoka, who has inherited his can-do spirit from his grandfather.

Future

(Photo: View of Heiwa Genshi and its neighborhood from the east. The company is surrounded by the rich nature of Hidaka-mura Village.)

As of February 2014, 11 employees, of which seven are women, work in the factory. The company plans to put more emphasis on the cosmetics-related business by hiring more female staff. We want to increase the number of staff who work on product development to establish a complete process from making trial products to commercialization. We won't wait for clients to come to us when they have an issue, but will visit them to build our business proactively.

Our company has many aspects of a family business. But if certain things are allowed because it is a family business, we can not truly be called a corporation. If someone outside the immediate family wants to continue the business, we will welcome them to Heiwa Genshi.
We need to transform the company into a true business corporation for those who join us in the future. "We are proud to manufacture paper like no one else can," Yamaoka says.