Ginpo
In 1932, Sutematsu Kumamoto, the first generation of the company, built a factory to realize high quality manufacturing that I can be satisfied with. In the midst of hardships and challenges, he listened to the voices of users and continued to develop earthenware pots that fit into people's lives. The "Kikka" series, completed through this history, continues to bring smiles to diners around the world.
In making products, Ginpo is involved in the "food and daily life" of the users, and we hope that our products will help them to feel good both mentally and physically. In order to achieve this, we believe that quality and user-friendly design are essential.
Ginpo’s product quality is supported by craftsmen with excellent skills. Our approach toward product quality has been handed down from the founder. We maintain the performance and durability of our products at a higher level through integrated production management, through an in-house process from the selection of raw materials to the mixing of clay and of glaze, forming, glazing, firing and inspection. Constantly conducting research, we will improve the process every time with better raw material, better mixing styles, and new manufacturing methods.
Ginpo will continue to add the essence of the times to our specialty, heat-resistant ceramics, to create products that enrich our dining experience. We will be happy if our customers have a wonderful time with our products.
Materials
Our work begins with making the best clay and glaze most suited for creating ceramic pots. The raw materials for making pots are selected from around the world. In pursuit of an extremely high-grade petalite, which influences the heat-resistance of products, we import petalite from a mine in Zimbabwe, to which we make a special request. Our clay is made by mixing these raw materials. This original clay lays the foundation for our pots, with a performance capable of enduring temperature changes of up to 650 ℃
Also, our glaze is made through our original formulation in our factory, in which we use no lead or cadmium, and boasts not only a beautiful finish but also high performance in preventing stains and odors, and easier maintenance. Based on these original clays and glazes, properties such as high heat-resistance, heat storage and durability are developed, and these raw materials are transformed into GINPO’s ceramic pots, allowing its customers to cook and enjoy highly satisfying meals.
Technologies
The power of a roller machine and a pressure casting method are mainly used in the forming process. Through our cultivated forming technique, we consistently manufacture highly accurate, stable products. We have also designed the shapes of our products to ensure that the pot is not chipped by bumped against other objects.
The glazing and painting on the pot are finished both by machines and manually, through various methods suited to the respective models.
The firing, the final manufacturing process for our products, is performed in a brick tunnel kiln approximately 60m long. While a sagger: a container with products for firing on a cart is put into the kiln from one end and is slowly maneuvered through the tunnel to the exit at the opposite end, the products undergo continuous firing, during which pre-heating, firing and cooling are applied. A computer manages the firing process in order to finely adjust the temperature, so that each product is fired at the appropriate temperature over 24 hours.
Kikka Donabe is the realization of the wishes of people who cook, as Ginpo has been making clay pots loved by many cooks for many years. While earthenware pots make food tasty, there was an unchangeable common sense that they were troublesome to clean and handle. But now, thanks to Ginpo's technology, these problems have become avoidable.
No need to season
Conventional clay pots need to be filled with water dissolved in flour and boiled for a long time before use to seal the minute holes in the surface of the clay pot. Kikka clay pots do not require this sealing process and are ready to use as soon as they arrive at your home.
15% lighter than conventional products
Clay pots used to be heavy and difficult to carry, but through the optimization of our unique clay blend and shape, we have succeeded in reducing the weight by 15% without compromising heat retaining properties.
Easy to care
One of the reasons people hesitate to use clay pots was that it was difficult to remove stains and odors from the bottom of the pot, but these have been greatly improved by an in-house developed glaze.
Furthermore
It is designed to be lower in height than a typical Donabe, making it easy to store in a cupboard! The lid can be flipped upside down to make it even more compact.
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