We are Dainihon Jochugiku Co., Ltd. KINCHO. ~Part 1: Pyrethrum and Evolution

The time was January of the 19th year of the Meiji era. A bag of seeds obtained by a young man from Kishu.
It was a fateful encounter between the founder, Eiichiro Ueyama, and pyrethrum.
The history of KINCHO began with this chrysanthemum flower.
"Rejoice and celebrate, for here is a miraculous herb; what is it? It is pyrethrum."
(From "Japanese Pyrethrum and Its Cultivation Method" by founder Eiichiro Ueyama, 1926 revised edition)

Do you know about pyrethrum?

Pyrethrum blooms with lovely flowers that resemble white marguerites. It is native to Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Serbia), and it is said that its insect-repelling properties were discovered in the 14th to 15th centuries.

KINCHO founder Eiichiro Ueyama was the son of a leading mandarin orange farmer in Arida, Kishu. In the 18th year of the Meiji era, at the age of 22, Eiichiro invited Mr. H.E. Amoore of an American seed company to his home in Arida through the introduction of his mentor at Keio Gijuku, Yukichi Fukuzawa, and gifted him various Japanese plants, including mandarin orange seedlings. In January of the following year, various plant seeds were sent from America as a token of gratitude. One of them was a small bag labeled "Pyrethrum." This was indeed the seed of the "pyrethrum."
Eiichiro saw great potential in pyrethrum, which had insecticidal efficacy. Believing that pyrethrum cultivation would become a new source of income for farmers and a trump card to protect people from famine caused by insect damage, he traveled across the country from the following year, 1887, to encourage the cultivation of pyrethrum.
As Eiichiro wrote in his book, "However, the initial hardships in encouraging this are beyond words," at first, everyone responded with suspicion. But as he continued to persuade them patiently, cooperating farmers appeared, and the production of pyrethrum increased. Eventually, with Eiichiro at the center, pyrethrum developed into one of Japan's leading export products before the war.

Mosquito coils were born from pyrethrum, Kincho-l was born, and it continues to evolve into next-generation mosquito repellents.

Initially, pyrethrum was sold as flea powder by grinding dried flowers, just like in Europe and America. However, Eiichiro got a hint from Buddhist altar incense and invented stick-shaped mosquito coils in 1890. Although the stick-shaped incense only lasted for less than an hour, in 1895, based on an idea from his wife Yuki, "Why not make it into a spiral shape?", the revolutionary "spiral mosquito coil" that lasts for 6 hours, the time a person sleeps, was born.
In 1934, "Kincho-l," which extracted the active ingredients of pyrethrum into a liquid, was released, and the development of various products continued. After the war, pyrethroid insecticidal components derived from pyrethrum could be chemically synthesized. In 1952, the aerosol-type "Kincho-l" was developed, and in 1965, the world's first liquid electric mosquito repellent "Kincho Eight" was developed. In addition, with the advent of components that can volatilize at room temperature, the odorless insect repellent "Gon" was developed in 1983, "Mushikonazu," which has active ingredients kneaded into resin, in 2007, and the next-generation mosquito repellent "Shinkatori," which uses no fire, electricity, or batteries, in 2024.
Starting with pyrethrum, KINCHO's insecticides have continued to evolve through tireless research and development, bringing countless groundbreaking new products to the world.

KINCHO Official Note has started!

March 5th. Today, on "Keichitsu" (the awakening of insects) of the 24 solar terms, when insects are said to wake from their sleep, the KINCHO official Note has begun.
We opened this Note to make the KINCHO that everyone has been familiar with for a long time feel closer to you, by providing seasonal information on pests that readers are troubled by, digging deeper into the secrets of KINCHO products, and unraveling modern Japanese history along with the 140-year history of KINCHO.
Until now, KINCHO has steadily walked through the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras together with all of you. We hope you will continue to accompany us in the story of "Dainihon Jochugiku Co., Ltd.," also known as KINCHO, as we continue to bloom flower by flower.