Raising its sails in 1928 during the Showa Period, Osaki Suisan paddled out into the vast ocean of food manufacturing. The company was founded in Kusatsu, Hiroshima, a town known as being a fertile fishing area in the Seto Inland Sea, and one that flourished through the manufacture of kamaboko (minced and boiled fish formed into a cylinder shape) using the high-quality fish of the area. In 1950, Katsuichi Osaki, who became the second-generation president of the family business in 1935, made a bold decision to steer the company in a new direction away from the traditional kamaboko manufacturing method using wooden slabs to a new one of creating kamaboko delicacies. This was because at the time there were some 80 other kamaboko manufacturers in Kusatsu alone, making Katsuichi Osaki think that, "We can't expand sufficiently to crush the competition but rather we must create new products using our own concepts and ideas." He started to move the company in this direction, with this type of thinking lending itself to create a unique and solid brand.

Under the leadership of Katsuichi Osaki, the company boldly took on the challenge of giving birth to products that did not fit into the traditional framework of the industry. One of these products was the groundbreaking "Fish Stick" product, or what is now referred to as kanikama (artificial crab). This product opened up new possibilities for kamaboko, expanded the market for kanikama, and breathed new life into the stagnant kamaboko industry.
When many other companies joined in the manufacture of kanikama, we never forget our proud as the developer of this product, and we continue to strive to stabilize and improve quality, create a reputation independent of price, and expand the popularity of kanikama all over the world. This novel food product, born in Hiroshima, has been recognized as a part of the global food culture.

The Fish Stick was born by chance due to the "Crab Cucumber" product being produced as one of the delicacies of Osaki. To make this product, a cucumber is hollowed out, and then stuffed with minced fish meat and crab. One day we noticed that mixing the fish meat and crab extract left over in the machinery produced a flavor similar to crab. This tiny flash of inspiration led to a major innovation. To achieve a red color like crab, a natural pigment taken from Monascus (also used as a colorant for sake), and improvements were made numerous times to the production line until everyone was fully satisfied with the product before successfully moving to automated mass production. It took four years to go from development to sales/export, with "Fish Stick" eventually becoming synonymous with kanikama. It is said that the three great food product inventions after the war were instant ramen noodles, retort curry and kanikama. One of these gave birth to the esteemed brand which is our effort from challenging with countless times.

As our leading product, "Fish Stick" has been sold in 40 countries across the world mainly in North America but also in Asia and Europe. Kanikama is recognized overseas as an excellent in food ingredient for its functionality and versatility, and is used accordingly in a wide range of menus. We are not merely content with such strengths or business expansion but rather we also focus on providing ideas where our products can be enjoyable in various ways, such as in new dishes that fit the food culture, customs and tastes for people all over the world. We will continue to provide the global and original products that have been loved by customers for many years.