a sloppy sloppy

Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture,
spread out before your eyes
Northern Alps Tateyama Mountain Range

Imizu is located almost in the center of Toyama Prefecture, overlooking the majestic Tateyama Mountain Range of the Northern Alps to the east, and was once mentioned in the Manyoshu, and is blessed with bountiful fruits from the fields, mountains, and sea.

Melted snow from the Tateyama mountain range
The water becomes underground water and irrigates the fields.

Surrounded on three sides by mountains of 2,000 to 3,000 meters high, including the Tateyama Mountain Range of the Northern Alps, clear snowmelt water recharges underground and becomes abundant groundwater, watering the fields.

No pesticides used for 40 years
Safe loofah growing

In the fields where we grow loofahs from seeds we collect ourselves without using pesticides, many beneficial microorganisms help the growth of loofahs and provide us with high-quality loofahs.

“Hechima Kochi” products are
All pesticide-free loofah from our own farm
I am using

Approximately 40 years ago, at a time when the One Village, One Product movement was popular throughout the nation and the idea of revitalizing villages and towns was in full swing, volunteers gathered together to create a specialty product representative of Oshima Town (now Imizu City), and efforts to produce loofahs began. At first, we were just trying to find ways to grow loofah, as neither cultivation techniques nor sales channels were established, but with the desire to deliver safe and secure loofah, we have grown each loofah with great care, without using any pesticides, from the beginning until now. Hechima Kochi Kobo's loofahs are made with a lot of love from the producers.

What exactly is hechima?

Loofah is an annual plant of the Cucurbitaceae family that is native to tropical Asia (around India). It is said that it was introduced to Japan via China during the Muromachi period (around 1520) and spread to the civilian population in the early Edo period.
Young loofah fruit is also popular as an edible ingredient, and in Taiwan it is often eaten as an ingredient in xiao long bao, in Okinawa as nabera chanpuru, and in southern Kyushu as an ingredient in stews, grilled dishes, and miso soup.

All daily necessities are also available at Hechima Kochi Kobo
Each one by hand
We are proudly made

For 40 years, we have been committed to pesticide-free products, growing loofah from seeds, cultivating, harvesting, processing, manufacturing and selling. In recent years, the benefits of natural materials have been reconsidered due to skin allergies and the tendency to avoid chemical products. Loofah fiber has a good texture and has excellent water absorption and breathability, so it has been useful in a wide variety of ways in daily life. From bath supplies to daily necessities and Japanese accessories, we help you live a healthy and comfortable life.