Kinoya Ishinomaki Suisan

Kinoya Ishinomaki Suisan, founded in 1957 in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture as predecessor Ishinomaki Suisan Co., Ltd. Starting from whale peddling, through whale yamato-ni canned food making — the signature product — the company has delivered Sanriku sea bounty to home dining tables.

In the late 1990s, on the occasion of generational change to the second, the company name was changed to Kinoya Ishinomaki Suisan. The new trade name combining "Ki (wood)" and "Ya" of the family name contains the wish to share the long-established history and Ishinomaki producing-region brand nationwide. Around this time, in addition to whale, canned good making using local fish — Kinka mackerel, Sanriku saury, true sardine — fully began.

What Kinoya has consistently cherished is delivering "delicious fish, while it's delicious." Combining fresh pack manufacturing — canning morning-caught fish on the same day without freezing — with simple seasoning using only domestic seasonings — the company has produced products where fat-rich blue fish can be deliciously eaten bones and all.

In the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the factory suffered major damage from the tsunami — temporarily forced into operation halt. But through nationwide support and the Hope's Canned Food Project, the company advanced toward reconstruction — and in 2013, the Ishinomaki main factory and Misato-cho factory were completed. Precisely because of being a company that experienced the disaster, the company has come to strongly conscious of the role of "preparedness supporting daily life" contained in canned goods.

Today, in addition to in-house brand products — whale canned goods, mackerel/saury/sardine cans, rice can series, frozen whale processed products and tsukudani — the company also responds to canned good OEM using supplied raw materials. Through factory direct stores, online stores, and mass retailers / restaurants, the company delivers Sanriku flavor to wide-ranging scenes from home use to gifts to commercial use.

Fresh pack canning Sanriku-Ishinomaki season on the same day

The unique fresh pack manufacturing — processing blue fish like mackerel, saury, and sardine caught in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture on the same day without freezing — is Kinoya's key. By prepping morning-caught fish and packing them into cans for heating as-is, the company produces canned goods sealing in fat content, umami, and fluffy texture.

Commitment to domestic seasonings and additive-free

Seasonings like soy sauce, sugar, and salt are carefully selected centered on domestic. Using additive-free soy sauce from Ishinomaki soy brewery, sugar from Kikai Island, salt from Sanuki — with simple seasoning not relying on chemical seasonings — drawing out fish's natural flavor. The appeal is the rustic and powerful deliciousness that becomes a dish just by topping rice.

Diverse whale products connecting whale culture to the next generation

Starting with whale yamato-ni — a signature product since founding — proposing whale meat in forms matching modern living: sunoko yamato-ni, soft whale calbi, whale bacon, red meat. While preserving region-rooted whale culture, with recipes enjoyable at daily dining tables — continuing initiatives to pass to the next generation.

Connecting with the region through factory direct stores and events — beyond the disaster

Even while the factory was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Ishinomaki main factory and Misato-cho factory were rebuilt in 2013. At the attached direct stores, the company widely sells from standard canned goods to frozen whale processed products — and through seasonal direct sales meetings and events, also contributes to regional reconstruction and bustle-making centered on canned good making.