Philosophy of NAKASHIMATO CO., LTD.
- Corporate Motto
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RAKU-GYOU-
KAI-ETSUThe idea that people who have the same ambitions enjoy working together,
endure struggles together and rejoice together.
- Corporate Principles
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- Act on moral principles
- Strive for originality and ingenuity
- Look after parent’s well being
- Words to remember
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The world is fairer than you imagine
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Our Corporate Motto and Corporate Principles
Toichiro Nakashima, the founder of the company, expressed his fundamental beliefs with regard to work as follows:
I think job motivation comes from enjoying work with people who have the same ambitions and rejoicing together. The key aim must be to act on moral principles. In other words, one should make decisions based not on immediate advantage or disadvantage, but on what is true and right. However, this alone is not enough to achieve goals; originality and ingenuity are also required. The world is fairer than you imagine, so if you feel that it is unfair, try reflecting on your own behavior and asking whether you failed to act on moral principles, or whether you were perhaps lacking in originality and ingenuity. And another thing I ask of you is to observe your filial duty toward your parents; that means feeling grateful to your parents for putting you first, and trying to repay them for their dedication. I believe that people capable of observing filial duty toward their parents are people who can feel gratitude for the goodwill of others and repay that goodwill. These people attract others who interact with goodwill, and the company should progress of its own accord as a result.
Everybody at Kewpie is proud to have inherited Toichiro Nakashima’s beliefs with regard to work via our corporate culture.Words to Remember: “The world is fairer than you imagine”
Toichiro Nakashima (Founder) was deeply impressed by the following words that he encountered in his younger days: “It may seem that the lazy and sly get ahead in the world. However, the world is actually a place where the people who strive in sincerity and earnestness are the winners in the long run.” He held the belief that “the world is fairer than you imagine.” When faced with difficulties, Toichiro would consider what was true and what was right, and always strove for originality and ingenuity. Throughout his life he continued to show gratitude toward all those who helped him. These words inherited from Toichiro were included in the Kewpie Group corporate principles up to 1992.
Our Ideal
We aspire to be a Group able to contribute to the development of food culture by serving as a bridge between Japan and the world.
Behavioral guidelines
“Think for yourself and take action,”
“Thrive in diversity,”
“Make your mark”
NAKASHIMATO Pioneers a New Era of Food Culture in Japan.
Traditional Japanese food culture was still dominant in the Taisho Era when founder Toichiro Nakashima travelled overseas and experienced the rich food cultures of Europe and the United States.
Astounded by delicious and highly nutritious products not available in Japan at that time, Nakashima made the decision to bring in high-quality products from around the world to enrich Japanese food culture. Aiming to provide only the best products to customers, his discriminating selection of products led to the substantial development of Japanese food culture.
As outstanding products continue to emerge throughout the world today, NAKASHIMATO will maintain the discriminating eye for quality inherited from our founder and continue providing delicious food that can be enjoyed with peace of mind.
About Toichiro Nakashima
Founder Toichiro Nakashima was born in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, in 1883. After graduating in 1907 from Suisan Koshujo (currently, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology), he joined canning company Wakana Shokai.
In 1912, he traveled to Europe and the United States as a Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce overseas business trainee. While abroad, he encountered orange marmalade and was impressed with the delicious and highly nutritious mayonnaise used in potato salad.
After returning to Japan, he founded canning company Nakashima Shoten (currently, NAKASHIMATO CO., LTD.). He was also subsequently involved in the establishment of Shokuhin Kogyo Co., Ltd. (currently, Kewpie Corporation) and Kioden Corporation (currently, AOHATA Corporation) among other companies.
With regard to his thoughts on canned food production, Nakashima noted “Some people say that canning food makes it difficult to determine its quality, which is why food should be used that is delicious even if uncooked. Food is prepared conscientiously, and food manufacturers have a conscience, thus they should use safe ingredients to responsibly prepare high quality food.”
The Pacific War forced the suspension of mayonnaise production, but even after the war, it was difficult to obtain the necessary ingredients. Nakashima maintained his conviction that black market ingredients never be used, which resulted in the delayed resumption of mayonnaise production and sales until 1948.
Maintaining our founder’s integrity, when NAKASHIMATO imports food products, we still visit production sites to select items and ensure delicious products can be enjoyed with an even greater peace of mind. We also carefully select each and every ingredient when developing proprietary brand products.