Kokuyo and Takizawa Veneer will participate in the "(tentative name) Shingohan" project.

Director Director (President: Yusuke Aono / hereinafter referred to as "Tsumikasane"), established by Tanseisha, Tree to Green (Representative: Yusuke Aono / hereinafter referred to as "Tree to Green"), Salt Terminal Corporation (Representative: Goro Tomoyasu / hereinafter referred to as "Salt Terminal"), Takenaka Corporation (President: Shigeto Dingono / hereinafter referred to as "Takenaka Corporation"). (President: Yusuke Aono; hereinafter "Tsumikasane"), Kokuyo Corporation (President: Hidekuni Kuroda; hereinafter "Kokuyo"), and Takizawa Veneer Corporation (Representative Director: Takahiro Takizawa; hereinafter "Takizawa Veneer") have newly joined the business.
Tsumikasane was established in Shiojiri City and Kiso Town, Nagano Prefecture, in 2024 as an operating company for the joint development of "Shingohan (tentative name)," a project to manufacture plywood and process interior materials, as a core project of the "Kiso Forest Grand Cycle Initiative," which aims to build a recycling-based economy utilizing forest resources in the Kiso region. The company was established in 2024 as an operating company.

■Purpose of participating in the project

● KOKUYO
Leveraging our expertise as a manufacturer, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through the cyclical use of forest resources by expanding the possibilities of wood utilization in the fields of architecture, interior design, and furniture, including developing products that utilize the forest resources of the Kiso region.

● Takizawa Plywood
Since its founding in 1936, the company has leveraged its expertise in manufacturing and selling hardwood plywood and veneer in Ashibetsu City, Hokkaido, and other locations, to contribute to this project. By collaborating in areas such as product development, the company aims to cultivate the market for high-value-added plywood.

News Release

Kokuyo and Takizawa Veneer to participate in the "(tentative name) Shingohan" project (PDF)

■Project Overview

Tsumikasane Co., Ltd. will operate its business from two locations: the "First Factory" at the former Naragawa Junior High School (Shiojiri City) and the "Second Factory" at the former Ueda Elementary School (Kiso Town).
This project aims to create new value for forest resources in the Kiso region and revitalize the local economy by transforming small-diameter timber, which has previously been difficult to utilize effectively, into high-value-added plywood that can be used in construction, interior design, and furniture.
●Project name: "(Provisional name) Shingohan"
●Operating company: Tsumikasane Co., Ltd. (URL: https://shingohan.com/)
・Head Office: 6943-1 Shinkai, Kiso-machi, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture
・Representative: Yusuke Aono
・Establishment date: September 2024
Business activities: Manufacturing and sales of veneer and plywood.
Shareholders: Tree to Green, Salt Terminal, Takenaka Corporation, Tanseisha, Kokuyo, Takizawa Veneer
Factory location: First Factory, 1037-3 Narai, Shiojiri City
Second Factory: 1942 Shinkai, Kiso-machi, Kiso-gun

■ About the Kiso Forest Grand Cycle Concept

Takenaka Corporation has named the sustainable virtuous cycle of forest resources and local economies the "Forest Grand Cycle®," and is working to build it in collaboration with various stakeholders, including forestry businesses and local governments.
Wood innovation is expected to lead to a more vibrant economy and resource cycle by utilizing forest resources in the construction market. We believe that this positive cycle, centered on forest-producing regions, will encourage the restructuring of cities and towns towards more sustainable urban structures, while the creation of demand for timber will lead to the revival of the forestry industry, forest regeneration, and ultimately, a cycle of wealth and resources.
The "Kiso Forest Grand Cycle Concept" is an initiative that embodies these ideals in a way rooted in the Kiso region of Nagano Prefecture, which boasts abundant forest resources. It will establish a system for converting small-diameter timber and unused wood into high-value-added building materials, thereby promoting the healthy regeneration of forests, revitalizing the local economy, and utilizing local timber in an integrated manner.
This project, tentatively named "Shingohan," is positioned as a core plywood manufacturing and interior material processing base, aiming to be the starting point for timber distribution from Kiso to urban areas and a model for implementing a sustainable connection between forests and cities.

■Future Outlook

With the first and second factories scheduled to begin full operation in the fall of 2026, facility renovations and manufacturing line design are currently underway. Each company will continue to leverage its expertise and network to promote the widespread adoption and practical application of building materials based on the "Forest Grand Cycle" through its own projects and introduction to related companies.
Furthermore, regarding the former Naragawa Junior High School, which is the site of the first factory, efforts have begun between Shiojiri City, Shiojiri City Forestry Corporation, Salt Terminal, and Takenaka Corporation to transform it into a forest hub that will serve as a facility for exchange and innovation among companies and individuals involved in forestry and woodworking, in addition to being a plywood factory.

■ Related links

Tree to Green Co., Ltd.
https://treetogreen.com/

- September 25, 2025: A new plywood manufacturing and interior material processing plant will be established using two former school buildings in the Kiso region.
https://www.takenaka.co.jp/news/2025/09/06/

- A former school in Kiso is being transformed into a plywood factory connecting forests and cities! The "Shingohan" project, which finds new value in small-diameter timber, has begun (Kinomachi Web)

A former school in Kiso is being transformed into a plywood factory connecting forests and cities! The "Shingohan" project, which finds new value in small-diameter timber, has begun.

Tanseisha, which is starting the use of wood in interior design by creating a local industry utilizing small-diameter domestic timber, plays a part in the Forest Grand Cycle® and transforms spaces into wood spaces (places and people).
https://batohito.tanseisha.co.jp/sustainability/interview_interior-wood-utilization/

KOKUYO Co., Ltd.
https://www.kokuyo.com/

Takizawa Veneer Co., Ltd.

Takizawa Plywood