Kadota Naoma (1877-1954) moved to Sapporo in 1922 where he opened his Kadota Iron Works, making agricultural products. In 1929 a student, Koichi Wakuda, brought in a pair of crampons and asked him to make a duplicate pair. These were well-received, and the following Febryuary a sporting goods store ordered 50 sets. Wakuda returned in July 1930 with a Schenck ice axk and asked for four copies. Naoma and his son Kadota Shigeru (1910-1998) filled the order, producing the first Kadota ice axes.
In 1937 outside investors launched Kadota tool Manufacturing wiht Naoma as president. Two years later and tired of the executives, Shigeru resigned. Naoma ws forced out shortly afterward. Quality declined, and Kadota ice axes and crampons gained an inferior reputation.
Shigeru resumed crampon production in Kotonni in March 1940, but had to stop climbing wequipment production in November due wartime restrictions. After the war, he resumed manufacturing agricultural machinery. Around 1947 demand for ice axes and crampons returned. In 1951 the company stopped manufacturing agricultural machinery and focused on making ice axes and crampons.
Shigeru welcomed Tadashi (1932-1992) as his craftsman. Tadashi married into the Kadota family in 1959. The two continued making ice axes and crampons. Around 1980 they began making metal-shafted axes with forged heads. Health issues forced them to stop around 1986. The total number of Kadota ice axes produced is unclear due to a lack of accurate records, but it is said to be around 50,000.
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↑ 364: Kadota Iron Works Kojitu Sanso
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↑ 212: Kadota Iron Works Nupuri
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↑ 235: Kadota Iron Works Special