Mosquito Coils and Mandarins ~ Kincho's Coil, Born from the Mandarin Orchards of Kishu

KINCHO employees are given a box of delicious mandarins every December. This is a tradition that dates back to the 1950s.
This is because the origins of KINCHO lie in the mandarin orchards of Kishu Arida.

Eiichiro Ueyama, the founder of KINCHO, who grew up in a mandarin orchard

KINCHO founder Eiichiro Ueyama was born in 1862 (the second year of the Bunkyu era) as the fourth son of a mandarin farming family in Arida, Kishu, that had been established for over 300 years.
After studying at Keio Gijuku in Tokyo and receiving teachings from Yukichi Fukuzawa, Eiichiro was passionately determined to contribute to Japan's development through industrial promotion and overseas exports. When he returned to his hometown in 1885 (the 18th year of the Meiji era) and established the "Ueyama Shoten" at the young age of 22, he was initially considering the export of mandarins.
In the year he established the shop, he welcomed H.E. Amo, the president of an American seed and seedling company, to Arida at the introduction of Mr. Fukuzawa, and sent him mandarin seedlings and palm trees. In return, what arrived from Mr. Amo in January 1886 was a bag of "pyrethrum" seeds, which would change Eiichiro's destiny.

From pyrethrum to mosquito coils

Pyrethrum flowers contain a natural insecticidal component that is safe for humans and animals but exerts an outstanding effect on insects. It was a miraculous substance that natural plants acquired over eons of time after an endless battle with insects.
Eiichiro intuitively sensed the potential for these lovely white flowers to protect people's lives and develop as an agricultural and industrial product. For Eiichiro, who grew up watching farmers surrounded by mandarin orchards and facing pests every day, this was also a conviction.
Eiichiro spread the cultivation of pyrethrum throughout Japan, and in 1890, in the Arida region of Kishu, he invented the world's first "mosquito coil." Pyrethrum, which was used as "flea powder" in the West, was applied to the extermination of "mosquitoes" in Japan.
This was actually an event that occurred before 1897, when Dr. Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes transmit malaria. This invention by KINCHO led to saving the lives of many people later on.

The coil shape was born from the idea of Eiichiro's wife, Yuki

The initial mosquito coils were stick-shaped like incense for Buddhist altars, and the burning time was only about 40 minutes.
In 1895, the spiral-shaped incense was born from the idea of Eiichiro's wife, Yuki, who suggested, "Why don't you try making it into a spiral shape?" The burning time became long enough to last for about 6 hours, which is the time a person sleeps, and it is now loved all over the world (the burning time of the Kincho coil currently sold is about 7 hours).
Furthermore, the shape of combining two pieces to make a spiral has basically not changed from the current "Kincho Coil." By changing from a stick shape to a spiral shape, not only did the burning time become longer, but it also prevented the incense from breaking during transport.
In addition, Mrs. Yuki suggested to Eiichiro, who was going through trial and error in the drying process of the mosquito coils, "Why don't you use a wire mesh?" That one remark became a major breakthrough that realized the mass production of mosquito coils.
Even now in the Reiwa era, there is no substitute for that method, and on the production line, the incense is placed on a wire mesh to dry.

The founding family's mandarin orchard is still active today

When you read Eiichiro's books, you can see that pride as a farmer breathes at the root of his way of thinking.
The founding family's mandarin orchard on the sunny hills of Arida is still carefully maintained and bears fresh fruit every year. The delicious mandarins distributed to KINCHO employees are those harvested at that farm.
Beyond the mandarin orchard is the Arida River. Receiving the reflection of the sparkling water surface, it has borne many sweet and delicious fruits again this year. The harvest and shipment of Arida mandarins are mostly finished, and they are now reaching everyone across the country.