Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd.

My name is Toshi Takayama and I am the sixth president of Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd. Our company was founded shortly after World War ? from the anatomical model and specimen division of Shimadzu Corporation, and we have carried on this enterprise for over half a century, celebrating our 70th anniversary in 2018. Maintaining growth and continuity in today’s economy is not easy for small and medium-sized businesses such as ours, but we have been blessed with both good social standing and devoted employees that together have helped us accomplish all that we have while maintaining longevity in the health and education market. Among such accomplishments in recent years has been our long-awaited overseas expansion, however, that is but one avenue of what we hope to be many forged in the near future. In Japan the business environment operates on the understanding that further growth is not a product of fulfillment in one’s achievements alone. I am by no means an excellent pilot, but I hope to maintain our current momentum and to that end I plan on using my tenure as president towards realizing our goal of achieving 100 years of the Kyoto Kagaku brand.

• Developing manufacturing and distribution of skill training products for medical and nurse training
• Developing, manufacturing and distribution of medical imaging phantoms
• Manufacturing and distribution of anatomical models and specimens
• Reproduction of cultural property of historic value

1891: Shimadzu Corp. begins the manufacture of educational scientific specimens
1895: Shimadzu Corp. establishes the educational scientific specimens division
1930: Development of wood-pulp fiber mannequins
1944: Shimadzu factory is closed due to World War II
1948: Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd. is established
1948: The factory is reopened and trade with the U.S. resumes
1954: Production of Buddhist statue replicas using synthetic resin
1967: Commercial manufacture of resinous human skeleton models
1995: Kyoto begins offering educational programs for foreign trainees as part of the Japanese International Cultural Association (JICA) program
2000: Development of the cardiology patient simulator 'Simulator K,' the company receives ISO 9001 certification
2003: 'Simulator K' and 'LSAT' patented in the U.S., 'EYE' Examination Simulator patented in Japan
2009: Awarded the 43rd Good Company Grand Prize by The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency of Japan
2010: New headquarter and factory building opens in Kyoto, Japan
2014: Kyoto Kagaku America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, is established in Torrance, California
2017: Hong Kong representative office opens
2019: European representative office opens in Frankfurt, Germany

Founded in Kyoto in 1891
A Pioneer of Medical and Nursing Educational Materials in Japan

Our roots can be traced back to 1891, when Shimadzu Corporation founder, Genzo Shimadzu Sr., began manufacturing scientific specimens for education.

In 1948, Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd. was established in order to continue the work being done by Shimadzu Corporation's specimens division. Initially, we manufactured and sold models, specimens, and experiment equipment for use in the life and earth sciences.

In the early 1950's, we began searching for new business opportunities and started creating replicas of cultural artifacts using new materials and manufacturing models for use beyond the scientific fields. Although we encountered many difficulties at first, the Japanese economy was booming, and we gradually grew our culture-related business. Eventually this business expanded beyond the creation of individual models and replicas to include other services, such as exhibit planning at cultural facilities.

In the sciences, we are contributing to education by expanding our business to include simulators and practice models that enhance the training of medical and nursing professionals.

Currently we are focusing our business resources on the medical training simulator and practice model field. We will continue to expand our field of vision from Kyoto to encompass the entire world, living up to our heritage as a pioneer and Japan's leading manufacturer of educational materials for medical and nursing training.

The World's Only Manufacturer of Anatomical Models, Imaging Phantoms, and Simulators

As educational content evolves and medical technology becomes more sophisticated, we provide products that can be used by all healthcare providers.

This includes practice models that recreate the actual feel of the human body and sensation of inserting a syringe, auscultation practice models that produce realistic heartbeat and breathing noises, and phantoms that produce the same images as a real body when undergoing x-rays or ultrasound. In recent years, we have facilitated the spread of simulation-based education through a lineup of products equipped with systems that can recreate changes in a patient’s symptoms, evaluate performance, and provide feedback. Only Kyoto Kagaku can realize every step of creating these kinds of products inhouse, from development through to manufacture and supply.

Made in Kyoto, Japan

Manufacturing unique products with unparalleled quality—this sums up Kyoto Kagaku’s approach to quality management. In order to pursue this highest level of quality, we have established an integrated framework that includes every step of product development, from product planning through to manufacturing, sales, and aftercare. Each individual product undergoes rigorous inspection to ensure it arrives ready for use. Going forward, we will strive to increase trust in our products by further improving quality controls based on customer feedback.

Creativity That Gives Shape to Customer Feedback

Our aim is to be a company that manufactures unique products. Therefore, our product development requires teamwork between specialists in a range of different fields, including teams of modelists and materials specialists to shape the models and recreate specific feels, IT and electronics teams to set up and operate our simulators, and others. During development, we work with academic and medical institutions, as well as education facilities that will be using our products, enabling us to receive input from experts in medical education and to share knowledge through industry-academic partnerships. This process has already resulted in the creation of many groundbreaking products.

Going forward, we will continue to push boundaries while listening sincerely to the feedback from the educators using our products, under the motto of 'realizing education that inspires through manufacturing.'

Trusted in Over 60 Countries Around the World

Since we first started producing replica Buddhist statues using synthetic resin in 1954, we have made replicas and imitations of a wide range of cultural assets, including historical records, archaeological materials, and fossils. Creating replicas and imitations is an extremely effective way to make use of these assets while ensuring that they are preserved. To realize a reproduction so sophisticated that even an expert cannot tell it apart from the real thing, we must fully understand the significance of the cultural asset and then accurately recreate not only its texture and color, but also the little changes it has picked up over time, such as flaking and scratches. We are able to do this by following our strong sense of duty to pass down cultural heritage to future generations.

Our approach has been widely acclaimed and since the 1980's, we have been accepting requests to work on cultural asset restoration projects. We are not only cultivating expertise in traditional techniques, but also carrying out research into new technologies and materials so we can help leave assets in even better condition for future generations.

Our approach and technical expertise have been recognized worldwide and researchers from many countries who are working to preserve cultural assets come to observe our processes.