San-iku Foods

San-iku Foods (Japan Food Factory) is an Adventist food company located in Sodegaura-shi, Chiba, Japan. It is part of the Japan Union Conference.

Early Days of Adventist Food Industry in Japan

The history of the Adventist food industry in Japan began with William C. Grainger, the first missionary to arrive in 1896, and his wife. They sold various healthy foods to fund the publication of the first Japanese Seventh-day Adventist periodical, Owari no Fukuin, which began in July 1899. The August 1900 issue of the periodical featured an advertisement for peanut butter. Dr. Mokutarou Kawasaki also sold health foods at his clinic, Tokyo Kou-en-iin. The Kobe Sanitarium (now Kobe Adventist Hospital), established by Drs. Kiku Kumashiro and Kawasaki, included a health food department. Dr. Kyukou Arita, a private doctor, traveled to the U.S. to study under Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Upon returning to Japan, he wrote an article on health and nutrition for Owari no Fukuin, and later published a book that discussed nuts, fruits, and cereals.¹

Healthy Foods in Nippon San-iku Gakuin

In June 1927, Nippon San-iku Gakuin, which had relocated from Amanuma, Tokyo, to Naraha, Chiba, launched its food industry to promote self-sufficiency. Canning machinery and a boiler were installed. By 1928, the school established a health foods department and began producing gluten meat, cereal coffee, cookies, and whole-grain bread. These products were made for students, teachers, and workers, as well as the public, despite limited production capacity.

In 1949, Mr. Michihisa Yoshimura from Madison College in the United States was invited to join the school. Under his leadership, production and development significantly improved. Following recipes from missionary wives, the school also began making granola. Granola, cookies, and canned asparagus were sold in Tokyo department stores, with Seibu Department Store regularly ordering cookies. The health foods department continued to thrive, despite production limitations.

In 1953, a new factory was completed on the campus of Nippon San-iku Gakuin (see Saniku Gakuin College). On the school's foundation day, several notable figures, including Mr. Ishibashi, executive deputy president of Bridgestone Co., Ltd., Dr. Yuasa, president of International Christian University, and Dr. Sasaki of the National Institute of Nutrition, visited the factory.

One of the key figures in the history of San-iku Foods was Dr. Harry W. Miller, known as the "Father of Soy Milk." A student of Dr. Kellogg, Dr. Miller learned not only medical science but also preventive medicine, health education, nutrition, and exercise. In 1903, he went to China as a missionary and took particular interest in tofu and soy milk. Since the prewar period, he had been dedicated to developing soy milk. Dr. Miller visited Japan many times and, alongside Mr. Ichirou Tabuchi and Mr. Hidekazu Watanabe of Nippon San-iku Gakuin, worked tirelessly on the product's development. In 1959, bottled soy milk was introduced, significantly improving the nutrition of students, teachers, and workers.

From the Department of Health Foods to San-iku Foods

The Sanitarium Health Food Company in Australia played a significant role in expanding the health food program in Japan. In addition to providing financial loans, L. A. Piper was sent from Australia to help establish the program on a commercial basis.

On December 4, 1970, the health foods department of Nippon San-iku Gakuin was separated from the school and became an independent entity. With funds loaned from Sanitarium Health Food Company, the new company purchased a complete bakery line and sterilization equipment, and built a business office. The factory’s land and building were leased from Nippon San-iku Gakuin.

For further development, the Japan Union Mission invited A. A. Cree from Sanitarium Health Foods in 1969. After making significant contributions, he returned to Australia in 1973.

In June 1974, the company’s name was changed from “San-iku Shokuhin” to “San-iku Foods.”

In 1978, the factory was relocated to Sodegaura City, Chiba Prefecture, where it was renovated on a 1-hectare site.

More Recent Developments

In 1993, the factory was located in Sodegaura City. It has five departments and employed 76 people in 1992. The factory's equipment was valued at $5.2 million, and its total assets were $10.4 million. Control of the institution lies with a board of directors, elected by the Japan Union Conference committee. The board of management, made up of conference officers and several key members of San-iku Foods, oversees the daily operations of the food program. The Sanitarium Health Food Company in Australia has played a major role in expanding the health food program in Japan.²

Over the years, Saniku Food Company has developed a wide range of vegetarian products, including sauces, pastes, plant-based protein foods, cereals, beverages, noodles, olive oils, and more. The company also shares and promotes a variety of recipes for vegan, vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets.³

Today, Saniku Food Company is part of the Saniku Group, which promotes collaboration across various businesses in Japan and worldwide. The group includes a diverse range of sectors. In the educational sector, it encompasses Sankyo Gakuin University (SGC) and College, as well as Hiroshima Sankyo Gakuin High School, Sankyo Gakuin Junior High School, and Okinawa Saniku Gakuin Junior High School. The group also operates elementary schools in locations such as Sapporo, Hakodate, Ibaraki, Chiba, Tokyo, Yokohama, Hiroshima, Kagoshima, and Okinawa, along with kindergartens in Sapporo, Morioka, Yokohama, Hiroshima, and Kagoshima. In the medical field, the Saniku Group includes Tokyo Hygiene Adventist Hospital (Suginami Ward), Kobe Adventist Hospital (Kita-ku, Kobe), and Okinawa Adventist Medical Center (Nishihara Town, Okinawa Prefecture). For welfare, the group supports Saniku Welfare Association (Yokohama), Saniku Life (Tokyo and Chiba), and Adventist Welfare Association (Yokohama). In publishing, the group runs Fukuinsha and the Adventist Book Center. In media, the Saniku Group operates Hope Channel (a video site) and the Adventist Media Center, which features radio broadcasts and more. The food business is represented by Saniku Foods and Select Shop Saniku Vegilife (Saniku Vegilife Co., Ltd.). For international cooperation, the group is involved with Adora Japan. Additionally, the group supports the Japan Tobacco Prevention Association and other businesses.⁴

Managers

Michihisa Yoshimura, 1949-1959; H. Imura, 1959-1962; N. Nemoto, 1962-1969; A. A. Cree, 1969-1970; Masao Uruma, 1970-1991; Shoujirou Kudo, 1992-1996; Yoshimichi Mitsuda, 1997-2001; Kyouichi Miyazaki, 2002-2006; Shoujirou Kudo, 2007-2017; Masahiro Hirao, 2017-2024; Yutaka Inada, 2024-

Sources

“Enkaku (History)” in the home page of San-iku Foods, https://san-iku.co.jp/company/history.

Kajiyama, Tsumoru. Shimeini Moete: Nihon Sebunsudeadobenchisuto Kyoukaishi (“The History of Japanese Seventh-day Adventist Church”). Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: Fukuinsha, 1982.

Kudou, Shoujirou. The 45^th Anniversary Issue of Shokuhin Jigyoubu San-iku Foods. (December 4, 2015).

Kudou, Shoujirou. “Ronsetus: San-iku Foods no Kokusaishoku Dendou.” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 10 (October 2015): 6.

Machida, Hidesaburou. “Nihon no Adobenchisuto Kyoukai niokeru Kikan no Yakuwari to sono Rekishi : 4 Nihon niokeru Shokuhinjigyou no Ayumi.” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 12 (December 2015): 18-19.

Saniku Foods official website, https://san-iku.co.jp/.

Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. Second revised edition. Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1996. S.v. “Japan Food Factory.”

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, various years. https://www.adventistyearbook.org/.

Notes

1. “Enkaku (History)” in the home page of San-iku Foods, https://san-iku.co.jp/company/history; Michael W. Campbell, “The Nunobiki, Japanese “Native” Branch, Eisei-in [Health Institute] or Kobe Eisein Sanitarium (1903–1927),” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, October 8, 2024, accessed February 10, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=4JOY.↩

2. Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (1996), s.v. “Japan Food Factory.”↩

3. Saniku Foods official website, accessed February 10, 2025, https://san-iku.co.jp/.↩

4. Ibid.↩