Kamakura New German

Kamakura New German (株式会社鎌倉ニュージャーマン) is a Japanese Western-style confectionery (yogashi) manufacturer headquartered in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. The business was founded in November 1968 by Sadao Takano as a confectionery shop named 'New German', and was incorporated as Yugen-gaisha Kamakura New German in September 1971, later reorganised as a kabushiki-gaisha in 1993. Its flagship product, 'Kamakura Caster', a cream-filled pastry launched in 1983, became a signature Kamakura souvenir, and the company also sells Kamakura Roll, baked cookies and boro/pie confections, sweet potato sweets, fresh cakes, and assorted gift boxes. The company operates a directly managed main store in front of JR Kamakura Station and a network of concession counters in department stores and station buildings across Kanagawa and the Greater Tokyo area, including Sogo Yokohama, Yokohama Takashimaya, Lazona Kawasaki Plaza, Terrace Mall Shonan, and Cubic Plaza Shin-Yokohama. At its peak it ran roughly 30 outlets and recorded sales of about ¥1.836 billion in the fiscal year ending September 2001. After the 2008 financial crisis, performance deteriorated sharply, sales fell to about ¥630 million by the fiscal year ending September 2019, and the old company's finances weakened under debt from past capital investment. In 2020 the business was rescued by Morozoff Ltd., the Kobe-based confectionery group. Morozoff established a new company, Kamakura New German Co., Ltd., in February 2020, which took over all operations of the old company on 1 April 2020; the new company's president was Morozoff's Tokyo branch manager. The old entity was renamed Hiwa Herb Co., Ltd. in March 2020, moved its registered head office to Ota, Tokyo in April 2021, resolved to dissolve in May 2021, and entered special liquidation in February 2022 with liabilities of about ¥500 million. Under Morozoff ownership the brand was fully renewed on 12 November 2020, alongside the renovation of the Kamakura Station-front main building as the 'Kamakura Main Store'. The company updated production equipment, refreshed its product line-up, and set a goal of returning sales to the ¥1 billion range within four years. Its stated management philosophy, adopted on 1 April 2020, is 'to love the climate of Kamakura and deliver smiles through sweets'. As of 2023 the company employed about 130 people and had capital of ¥200 million.

Kamakura New German traces its origins to November 1968, when Sadao Takano founded a Western confectionery shop called 'New German' in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. In September 1971 the business was incorporated as Yugen-gaisha Kamakura New German, and in 1972 it opened the Kamakura Yukinoshita main store. The company was reorganised as a kabushiki-gaisha (joint-stock company) in 1993, the same year it built a new factory and began actively opening department-store counters; at its peak it operated around 30 outlets. In 1997 the Kamakura Station-front main building opened. The flagship product 'Kamakura Caster' was launched in 1983 and grew into a representative Kamakura souvenir. The company produced and sold baked confections such as cookies, fresh cakes, and sweet potato sweets, and distributed both through its own stores and wholesale channels to supermarkets. For the fiscal year ending September 2001, sales reached approximately ¥1.836 billion. After the global financial crisis of 2008, business deteriorated. Stores were closed, but the decline continued, and sales for the fiscal year ending September 2019 fell to about ¥630 million. Financial obligations from past capital investment further weakened the company's position. The old company negotiated with several potential partners through an M&A intermediary, but all talks failed. At the end of 2019, the Tokyo branch manager of Morozoff Ltd., a major confectionery company headquartered in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, visited the Ofuna factory with executives, and Morozoff ultimately agreed to support the business. Morozoff established a new company, Kamakura New German Co., Ltd., in February 2020 to take over the business, and on 1 April 2020 the new company acquired all operations of the old company. The new company's head office was placed in the Kamakura Station-front main building, and Morozoff's Tokyo branch manager became its president. The old company was renamed Hiwa Herb Co., Ltd. on 31 March 2020; it moved its registered head office from Kamakura to Ota, Tokyo on 20 April 2021, resolved to dissolve on 31 May 2021, and received a special liquidation order from the Tokyo District Court on 15 February 2022, with liabilities of about ¥500 million. Under the new ownership, the company invested in updated production equipment and renewed a product line-up that Morozoff had described as weakened, aiming to serve tourist souvenir demand and to restore sales to the ¥1 billion range within four years. On 12 November 2020 the brand was fully renewed and the Kamakura Station-front main building reopened as the 'Kamakura Main Store'. Morozoff president Shinji Yamaguchi commented that this marked the start of a true revival and that the company would continue to value Kamakura's climate and culture. The company adopted the management philosophy 'to love the climate of Kamakura and deliver smiles through sweets' on 1 April 2020, and developed 'Kamakura Mini' as a new standard product, giving all products designs inspired by Kamakura's atmosphere. As of 2023 the company employed about 130 people and had capital of ¥200 million.

• Sadao Takano founds the Western confectionery shop 'New German'.

• Reorganised as Yugen-gaisha Kamakura New German.

• Kamakura Yukinoshita main store opens.

• 'Kamakura Caster' is launched.

• Reorganised as a kabushiki-gaisha; new factory built and department-store expansion accelerated.

• Kamakura Station-front main building opens.

• Fiscal-year sales reach about ¥1.836 billion.

• Fiscal-year sales fall to about ¥630 million.

• Morozoff establishes the new Kamakura New German Co., Ltd.

• Old company renamed Hiwa Herb Co., Ltd.

• New company takes over all operations; management philosophy renewed.

• Brand fully renewed; Kamakura Station-front building reopens as Kamakura Main Store.

• Hiwa Herb moves its registered head office to Ota, Tokyo.

• Hiwa Herb resolves to dissolve.

• Hiwa Herb receives special liquidation order; liabilities about ¥500 million.

Kamakura souvenir confectionery brand; traditional local yogashi with department-store and station retail presence.

• Kamakura Caster

  Flagship cream-filled pastry launched in 1983; the company's best-selling product.

• Kamakura Roll

  Roll cake, one of the main products.

• Kamakura Mini

  Developed as a new standard product after the 2020 renewal.

• Gekkyo

  Confectionery product listed on the official site.

• Kamakura Galette

  Galette-style confectionery listed on the official site.

• Boro and Pie

  Baked boro cookies and pies.

• Assorted gift boxes

  Gift assortments of the brand's confections.

1. 1鎌倉ニュージャーマン official websitenewgerman.co.jp
2. 2企業情報 | 鎌倉ニュージャーマンnewgerman.co.jp
3. 3Kamakura New German on Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4鎌倉ニュージャーマン - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org