New Company Tradge Founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, the Birthplace of Domestic Golf Irons; Challenging Branding of Forging Technology and Local Resources in Collaboration with Local Artisans
Key facts
- New Company Tradge Founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, the Birthplace of Domestic Golf Irons; Challenging Branding of Forging Technology and Local Resources in Collaboration with Local Artisans
- A new company, Tradge, has been founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, leveraging the area's heritage as the birthplace of domestic golf irons. The company will collaborate with local artisans and producers to develop brands and products utilizing regional resources such as forging technology and agricultural products. As its first initiative, Tradge is launching a lifestyle brand called "metl." that utilizes forging technology, with sales scheduled to begin around the summer of 2026.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 12, 2026
Direct answer
A new company, Tradge, has been founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, leveraging the area's heritage as the birthplace of domestic golf irons. The company will collaborate with local artisans and producers to develop brands and products utilizing regional resources such as forging technology and agricultural products. As its first initiative, Tradge is launching a lifestyle brand called "metl." that utilizes forging technology, with sales scheduled to begin around the summer of 2026.
- Citation
- New Company Tradge Founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, the Birthplace of Domestic Golf Irons; Challenging Branding of Forging Technology and Local Resources in Collaboration with Local Artisans (June 12, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 12, 2026
A new company, Tradge, has been founded in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, leveraging the area's heritage as the birthplace of domestic golf irons. The company will collaborate with local artisans and producers to develop brands and products utilizing regional resources such as forging technology and agricultural products. As its first initiative, Tradge is launching a lifestyle brand called "metl." that utilizes forging technology, with sales scheduled to begin around the summer of 2026.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 12, 2026 at 22:29
- 🔍 Collected: June 12, 2026 at 13:36
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 12, 2026 at 16:51 (3h 15m after Collected)
Yuro Okamoto (34), who was born and raised in Ichikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture, and has been involved with manufacturing companies across Japan in his previous job, founded Tradge Co., Ltd. on May 1, 2026. Tradge is a company that collaborates with local artisans and producers to develop brands, products, and sales businesses utilizing regional resources.
Through his involvement with manufacturing companies nationwide, he re-realized that Ichikawa Town, his hometown, possesses world-class technology. Driven by the desire to deliver this technology to those who need it, he launched a business in collaboration with local artisans and producers.
Representative Director: Yuro Okamoto (34). Born in Ichikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture.
Manufacturing in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture
Rural landscape along the Ichikawa River basin. Ichikawa Town is also a region blessed with rich nature and agricultural products.
Ichikawa Town is the "birthplace of domestic golf irons," having succeeded in the mass production of the first domestic forged golf iron heads in 1930. With very little existing production data, Kiyotaro Morita, a blacksmith, applied swordsmithing techniques and, after approximately three years of trial and error, completed the first head.
This technology has been passed down since then and continues to be refined by artisans who support world-class quality even today.
An artisan working at a forging factory in Ichikawa Town. Soft iron forging, which applies swordsmithing techniques, boasts world-class quality even now.
Furthermore, the Ichikawa River basin is home to agricultural products and food culture nurtured by its rich natural environment, and many producers are continuously refining their value day by day.
Tradge's mission is to "research and deliver the value of local life." By delivering the value of life rooted in the techniques, culture, and climate nurtured by artisans and producers to more people, the company aims to create a cycle that leads to the future of the region.
The "6th Ichikawa Town Comprehensive Plan," formulated by Ichikawa Town in March 2026, includes "promotion of sustainable local industries" as one of its basic objectives. The plan outlines a policy to aim for the development of regional industries through branding and sales channel expansion utilizing local resources. Tradge resonates with this philosophy and will proceed with initiatives to deliver the appeal of local resources to more people in collaboration with local artisans and producers.
■ First Phase Business: Launching "metl.", an Iron Lifestyle Brand Utilizing Forging Technology
Director Okamoto (right) and an artisan checking forged products. Product development for metl. is carried out in collaboration with local artisans.
As Tradge's first business initiative, the company will launch "metl.", an iron lifestyle brand that utilizes the soft iron forging technology passed down in Ichikawa Town.
As its first product, Tradge is developing iron products that allow users to naturally incorporate iron into their daily lives using soft iron forging technology.
The company is currently developing products in collaboration with local artisans and plans to begin sales around the summer of 2026.
While leveraging the techniques inherited in the region, the aim is to deliver these products as tools that will last long in people's lives to consumers nationwide.
■ Second Phase Business: Delivering the Value of Agricultural Products and Specialty Goods from the Ichikawa River Basin
In the future, Tradge will also engage in product development utilizing regional resources such as eggs, honey, and agricultural products nurtured in the Ichikawa River basin.
By directly collaborating with producers and delivering not only the products themselves but also the climate, lifestyle, and the producers' aspirations behind them, Tradge aims to create new sales channels and encounters with customers.
The company will serve as a bridge connecting local industries with urban consumers, contributing to the realization of a sustainable regional economy.
Comment from Representative Director Yuro Okamoto
Director Okamoto (right) in discussion with an artisan in the factory.
I was born and raised in Ichikawa Town. While I left the region once for university and employment, seeing my hometown from the outside made me realize anew that Ichikawa Town possesses technology and rich nature that can be proud of nationwide.
In my previous job, I worked with companies involved in manufacturing across Japan. While I experienced the wonderful techniques of artisans and factory workers, I also witnessed firsthand the difficulties of continuing manufacturing, such as soaring raw material prices, labor shortages, and the challenge of adapting to modern lifestyles.
In conversations with the artisans of Ichikawa Town, I was deeply moved not only by their high level of skill but also by their strength in continuing manufacturing despite any environmental changes and their passion for continuing to take on challenges.
I am not an artisan. I cannot make things.
Therefore, I have continued to think about what I can do.
Coming up with ideas, connecting people, creating points of contact with urban areas. Utilizing the experience and network I cultivated in my previous job, I believe my role is to deliver Ichikawa Town's technology and products to those who need them.
Furthermore, as someone born and raised in this town, I have come to feel it is our generation's responsibility to protect a place where children born and raised here can return and say "I'm home."
We must pass on to the next generation a region where people can live, work, and raise children with peace of mind in the land where they were born and raised. To achieve this, there must be jobs in the region, proud industries, and an environment where people can take on challenges.
Tradge, together with the artisans and producers, wishes to connect the technology, culture, and value of life inherited in Ichikawa Town to the future and contribute to the sustainable development of regional industries.
About Tradge
Tradge is a company with the mission "to research and deliver the value of local life." In collaboration with artisans and producers, the company engages in businesses that deliver the value of technology, culture, and products inherited in the region to contemporary life.
【Company Overview】
Company Name: Tradge Co., Ltd.
Representative: Yuro Okamoto, Representative Director
Location: Ichikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture
Established: May 1, 2026
Capital: 2 million yen
Business Description: Product development and sales utilizing regional resources
Through his involvement with manufacturing companies nationwide, he re-realized that Ichikawa Town, his hometown, possesses world-class technology. Driven by the desire to deliver this technology to those who need it, he launched a business in collaboration with local artisans and producers.
Representative Director: Yuro Okamoto (34). Born in Ichikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture.
Manufacturing in Ichikawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture
Rural landscape along the Ichikawa River basin. Ichikawa Town is also a region blessed with rich nature and agricultural products.
Ichikawa Town is the "birthplace of domestic golf irons," having succeeded in the mass production of the first domestic forged golf iron heads in 1930. With very little existing production data, Kiyotaro Morita, a blacksmith, applied swordsmithing techniques and, after approximately three years of trial and error, completed the first head.
This technology has been passed down since then and continues to be refined by artisans who support world-class quality even today.
An artisan working at a forging factory in Ichikawa Town. Soft iron forging, which applies swordsmithing techniques, boasts world-class quality even now.
Furthermore, the Ichikawa River basin is home to agricultural products and food culture nurtured by its rich natural environment, and many producers are continuously refining their value day by day.
Tradge's mission is to "research and deliver the value of local life." By delivering the value of life rooted in the techniques, culture, and climate nurtured by artisans and producers to more people, the company aims to create a cycle that leads to the future of the region.
The "6th Ichikawa Town Comprehensive Plan," formulated by Ichikawa Town in March 2026, includes "promotion of sustainable local industries" as one of its basic objectives. The plan outlines a policy to aim for the development of regional industries through branding and sales channel expansion utilizing local resources. Tradge resonates with this philosophy and will proceed with initiatives to deliver the appeal of local resources to more people in collaboration with local artisans and producers.
■ First Phase Business: Launching "metl.", an Iron Lifestyle Brand Utilizing Forging Technology
Director Okamoto (right) and an artisan checking forged products. Product development for metl. is carried out in collaboration with local artisans.
As Tradge's first business initiative, the company will launch "metl.", an iron lifestyle brand that utilizes the soft iron forging technology passed down in Ichikawa Town.
As its first product, Tradge is developing iron products that allow users to naturally incorporate iron into their daily lives using soft iron forging technology.
The company is currently developing products in collaboration with local artisans and plans to begin sales around the summer of 2026.
While leveraging the techniques inherited in the region, the aim is to deliver these products as tools that will last long in people's lives to consumers nationwide.
■ Second Phase Business: Delivering the Value of Agricultural Products and Specialty Goods from the Ichikawa River Basin
In the future, Tradge will also engage in product development utilizing regional resources such as eggs, honey, and agricultural products nurtured in the Ichikawa River basin.
By directly collaborating with producers and delivering not only the products themselves but also the climate, lifestyle, and the producers' aspirations behind them, Tradge aims to create new sales channels and encounters with customers.
The company will serve as a bridge connecting local industries with urban consumers, contributing to the realization of a sustainable regional economy.
Comment from Representative Director Yuro Okamoto
Director Okamoto (right) in discussion with an artisan in the factory.
I was born and raised in Ichikawa Town. While I left the region once for university and employment, seeing my hometown from the outside made me realize anew that Ichikawa Town possesses technology and rich nature that can be proud of nationwide.
In my previous job, I worked with companies involved in manufacturing across Japan. While I experienced the wonderful techniques of artisans and factory workers, I also witnessed firsthand the difficulties of continuing manufacturing, such as soaring raw material prices, labor shortages, and the challenge of adapting to modern lifestyles.
In conversations with the artisans of Ichikawa Town, I was deeply moved not only by their high level of skill but also by their strength in continuing manufacturing despite any environmental changes and their passion for continuing to take on challenges.
I am not an artisan. I cannot make things.
Therefore, I have continued to think about what I can do.
Coming up with ideas, connecting people, creating points of contact with urban areas. Utilizing the experience and network I cultivated in my previous job, I believe my role is to deliver Ichikawa Town's technology and products to those who need them.
Furthermore, as someone born and raised in this town, I have come to feel it is our generation's responsibility to protect a place where children born and raised here can return and say "I'm home."
We must pass on to the next generation a region where people can live, work, and raise children with peace of mind in the land where they were born and raised. To achieve this, there must be jobs in the region, proud industries, and an environment where people can take on challenges.
Tradge, together with the artisans and producers, wishes to connect the technology, culture, and value of life inherited in Ichikawa Town to the future and contribute to the sustainable development of regional industries.
About Tradge
Tradge is a company with the mission "to research and deliver the value of local life." In collaboration with artisans and producers, the company engages in businesses that deliver the value of technology, culture, and products inherited in the region to contemporary life.
【Company Overview】
Company Name: Tradge Co., Ltd.
Representative: Yuro Okamoto, Representative Director
Location: Ichikawa Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture
Established: May 1, 2026
Capital: 2 million yen
Business Description: Product development and sales utilizing regional resources
FAQ
What does Tradge aim to achieve?
By collaborating with local artisans and producers, Tradge aims to achieve regional sustainable future and economic revitalization through branding of local resources like forging technology and agricultural products.
What kind of brand is "metl."?
It is an iron lifestyle brand that utilizes Ichikawa Town's traditional soft iron forging technology, designed to complement daily life.
What is the background of the founder, Mr. Okamoto?
Originally from Ichikawa Town, he previously worked with manufacturing companies nationwide, rediscovered the value of his hometown's technology and resources, and founded Tradge.
What is Ichikawa Town known for?
It is famous as the "birthplace of domestic golf irons" and is also a region blessed with rich nature and agricultural products.
How will Tradge's business impact the region?
Through the inheritance of traditional techniques and the development of new products, it will promote local industries, create employment, and foster new connections with urban areas.