PressRelease2026h+hMesseinCologne
PressReleaseNO1:
110thAnniversaryin2026 In2026,ourcompanyproudlycelebratesits110thanniversary.
Aswereachthisimportantmilestone,wewouldliketoexpressourdeepestandmostsincere gratitudeforthelong-standingsupportwehavereceivedfromourcustomersandpartners overtheyears.Beingneededbyourcustomersisourgreatestjoy,andmeetingtheir expectationsisourpride. Withhumility,dedication,andsteadyeffort,wewillcontinuetorefineourcraftsmanshipso thatwemaydeliverthefinestbambooknittingneedlestocustomersaroundtheworld.
1)TheHistoryofBambooKnittingNeedles OurcompanyislocatedinTakayama,IkomaCity,NaraPrefecture,whereJapan’soldestcapital oncestoodover1,300yearsago.TheTakayamaareahasflourishedformorethan500yearsas acenterofproductionforchasen(bambooteawhisks)usedintheJapaneseteaceremony. Today,over90%ofJapan’schasenareproducedinthisregion.
Formorethanfivecenturies,advancedbamboo-processingtechniqueshavebeenpasseddown throughgenerationsinthisarea.Drawingonthisrichheritage,ourcompanyhasspent110 yearsapplyingtheseskills originallydevelopedforproducingroundbambooneedles tothe manufacturingofbambooknittingneedles.
2)OurFounding In1916,ourfounderUnokichiOyama,thegrandfatherofthecurrentgeneration,began developingandproducingShinshibariusingJapanesebamboo.In2026,weproudlymark110 yearssinceourfounding.
Shinshibariarethin,roundbambooneedlestraditionallyusedinJapantodrykimonofabrics afterweavingordyeing.Whiledemandhasdeclinedinrecentyears,theyarestillusedtodayin certainkimonoproductionregions.
ByrefiningandadvancingourspecializedtechniquesforprocessingJapanesebamboointo preciseroundneedles,weexpandedourexpertiseintotheproductionofbambooknitting needles.
2016
2026
Eachneedleiscarefullycraftedandpolishedbyskilledartisanswhopossessadeep understandingoftheuniquecharacteristicsofJapanesebamboo.Asthecompanywiththe longesthistoryofbambooknittingneedleproductioninJapan,weproudlydeliverSeeknit bambooknittingneedlestocustomersaroundtheworld.
Shinshibari
Shinshibari
3)KeyMilestonesinProductDevelopment • 1916:DevelopmentandproductionofShinshibaribambooneedles
• 1960s:ResearchandintroductionoftheKoshitsuTreatmentProcess
• 1983:Developmentandintroductionofswivel-cordcircularneedles
• 1987:Developmentandintroductionofinterchangeablecircularneedlesandsets
• 1996:Developmentandintroductionofnon-slipmechanismsforcrochethooks
• 2010:Developmentandintroductionofasymmetriccircularneedles
• 2024:DevelopmentandintroductionoftheSeeknitCURVEseamlessdesignfor interchangeablecircularneedlesandsets
Sinceourfounding,wehavecontinuouslypursuedresearch,development,andinnovation usingJapanesebamboo.Inparticular,wetakegreatprideinhavingachievedfoundational developmentsinknittingneedlesthathavemadeasignificantimpactontheglobalknitting industryandhavebeenwidelyadoptedandadaptedintovariousproducts.
Whilewehavefacedmanychallengesoverthepast110years,wehaveovercomethem throughthesupportandunderstandingofourcustomers,alongwiththewisdomand dedicationofallthoseinvolved.Withthisfoundation,wewillcontinuetodevelopbamboo knittingneedlesthatareevenmorecomfortable,user-friendly,andenjoyabletouse always fromthecustomer’sperspective.
4)TheLaunchofthe SeeknitBrand(2016) In2016,tocommemorateour100thanniversary,KinkiAmibariCo.,Ltd.launchedtheSeeknit brandtoencourageexplorationandenjoymentwithintheworldofknitting.
“Seek”representsexploration,and“Knit”representsknitting togetherformingthename Seeknit .Throughourproductsandvariousactivities,westrivetomakeknittingmore accessibleandenjoyable.Weremaincommittedtocontributingtothecontinuedgrowthof knittingculturearoundtheworld.
5)CorporatePhilosophy Weaimtoenrichpeople’slivesbycontributingtoknittingculture.
• WeutilizerenewableJapanesebambooandwood,contributingtoaprosperoussociety throughourproductsandactivities.
• Weprovideproductsthatminimizeenvironmentalimpact.
• Weuserenewableandrecyclableresourcestodeliverenvironmentallyfriendly products.
• Weadoptattractivedesignsandpaycloseattentiontodetailthroughoutthe manufacturingprocess.
• Wepreservetraditionalcraftsmanshipandexpertisewhilecontinuouslyincorporating newtechnologiestodeliverhigh-qualityproducts.
• Wevaluetrust-basedrelationshipswithourcustomersandstriveforsharedsuccess.
6)FeaturesandAppealofSeeknitProducts • SeeknitCURVE Seamless
“SeeknitCURVE”InterchangeableCircularNeedleshasdesignedtoaimSmootherand Seamlessfeature”
• EaseofUse–Useful
“Carefullypolishedneedletipsbyskilledartisansallowstitchestobepickedup effortlessly.”
• Sustainability–Sustainable
“Bambooisanatural,environmentallyfriendlymaterialthathasbeenchosenand trustedforgenerations.”
• Comfort–Comfortable
“Lightweightandflexibledesignsthatfitnaturallyinthehand.Weareconfidentinthe perfectionofourfinish.”
• Lightness–Airy
“Oursmoothfinishprovidesacomfortablefeel,makingtheneedlessuitableforall knittingprojects.”
SeeknitProductsbyKinkiAmibariCo.,Ltd. Theglossy,smoothsurfacefinishofourbambooknittingneedlessymbolizesthehighest qualityweproudlyoffer.KinkiAmibariprovidesafulllineupofknittingneedlesdesignedto suitawiderangeofneeds,includingvariationsintype,size,length,thickness,andconnection systems helpingtomakeeveryknittingexperiencemorefulfilling.
Onceagain,wewouldliketoexpressourheartfeltgratitudetoourcustomersfortheir continuedsupport,whichallowsustoengageintheproductionanddevelopmentofSeeknit bambooknittingneedlestoday.
Wecarefullycrafteachandeveryneedlewithheartfeltdedication,alwaysimaginingthefaces ofourcustomers. Weaspiretobeapartoffulfillingyourdreamsandcreatingmomentsof excitementandjoy.Thatisourwish andourgreatesthappiness atSeeknit. Lookingaheadtothenext100years,wewillcontinuetocrafteachneedlewithcareand dedicationsothatourbambooknittingneedlesremainlovedbycustomersaroundtheworld.
KyokoOyama
President Since1916
Kinki Amibari Co., Ltd.
4368 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-city, Nara, 630-0101, Japan
www.amibari.jp/english/ email: office-en@amibari.jp
Phone: +81-743-78-1108
