Ichishin Holdings

What Ichishin Holdings does

Ichishin Holdings is a Japanese private education group founded in 1965, headquartered in the Kanto region. The company operates a portfolio of cram school (juku) brands serving K-12 students, with 321+ classrooms across Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, and Nagano. Core consumer brands include Ichishin Gakuin (group instruction), Ichishin Yobiko (university entrance exam preparation), and Kotaro Juku (individual tutoring), supplemented by the recently launched Oar high school university prep brand and Prime Tutors online one-on-one tutoring targeting elite middle school admissions.

The product portfolio combines in-person group and individual instruction with online and hybrid formats. Teaching delivery relies on a proprietary spiral review curriculum and a dual-instructor co-teaching method. Technology layers include the Monoxer AI vocabulary platform, ELST instant evaluation tools, a LINE-based diagnostic screening system, and dedicated video lesson infrastructure supporting Ichishin Online and Kotaro Online. Beyond consumer education, the company operates a corporate and government training vertical with named clients including NTT, Canon, Chiba Bank, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust.

The business model is predominantly subscription-based, with monthly tuition collected per student across multiple SKUs (group instruction at roughly ¥15,000-¥30,000/month, individual tutoring at ¥15,000-¥75,000/month, plus online and specialty programs). As of 2015 the company reported 43,106 enrolled students supported by 811 full-time and 4,609 part-time staff. Customer relationships are multi-year as students progress across school stages, supported by academic tracking, diagnostic history, and curriculum continuity that raise switching costs. The combination of dense physical distribution, brand longevity, and an expanding digital ecosystem positions Ichishin as an established regional incumbent addressing both consumer and B2B education demand.

Name

Ichishin Holdings

Legal name

株式会社市進ホールディングス

Website

https://ichishin.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ichishin Holdings is a 61-year-old Japanese private education group operating 321+ K-12 cram school classrooms across the Kanto region and Nagano, serving students through group instruction, individual tutoring, online courses, and corporate training under multiple brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Group Tutition (市進学院): Recurring monthly/term-based tuition fees for group classroom instruction covering elementary, middle, and high school exam preparation courses. Tuition is charged on a per-student, per-course basis with term-based billing.
2. University Exam Prep (市進予備校): Recurring subscription model for high school-level university entrance exam preparation courses. Includes tiered course offerings (Super Wing, Advance Wing, Basic Wing) with associated materials. Billed monthly.
3. Individual Tutoring (個太郎塾): Per-session and per-course fees for individual and small-group tutoring (1-on-2 format). Online tutoring options available. Fee structure varies by grade level and number of weekly sessions. Additional charges for extended subjects (science, social studies) and seasonal programs.
4. Oar University Prep (Oar): Monthly subscription for high school-focused university exam preparation, with course types including rating improvement courses, speed-learning courses, and textbook comprehension courses.
5. Institutional Training Services: Training services provided to corporate clients, government agencies, and educational institutions. The company provides staff training programs for organizations including prefectural boards of education and private companies, generating non-recurring professional services revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ichishin Holdings operates the Ichishin Education Group, providing K-12 cram school instruction and exam preparation across 321+ classroom locations in the Greater Tokyo area (Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, Nagano). The group delivers group classroom instruction (Ichishin Gakuin), university exam prep schools (Ichishin Yobiko), 1-on-2 individualized tutoring (Kotaro Juku), online courses, and dedicated brands such as Oar for high school students. The company also provides staff training services to corporate and government clients.

Product overview

市進教育グループ operates as a comprehensive educational services group offering group instruction, individualized tutoring, and online learning programs. The core offerings include 市進学院 (group instruction for exam preparation), 市進予備校 (university prep school), 個太郎塾 (individualized tutoring), and 市進オンライン (online courses). Supporting products include Oar for dedicated high school prep, スタディジム (study facilities), パンセフロンティエル (gifted education for young learners), and various specialized modules such as ウイングネット video lessons, 英検対策, and the Prime Tutors online tutoring service. The group serves students from elementary through high school across Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama and other regions through approximately 321 classroom locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 市進学院: Group instruction for junior high, high school, and university entrance exam preparation
• 市進予備校
• 個太郎塾
• Oar
• パンセフロンティエル
• スタディジム
• 市進オンライン

Products and services

• Ichishin Gakuin (市進学院) Group classroom instruction offering elementary, middle, and high school entrance exam preparation with co-teaching methodology and full-subject coverage.
• Ichishin Yobiko (市進予備校) University entrance exam preparation school for high school students, with tiered courses (Super Wing, Advance Wing, Basic Wing) and integrated graduation curriculum.
• Kotaro Juku (個太郎塾) Individualized 1-on-1 and 1-on-2 tutoring service for elementary, middle, and high school students, with online options available nationwide.
• Ichishin Online (市進オンライン) Real-time online group instruction and self-study video courses for elementary and middle school students, accessible nationwide.
• Oar University Exam Prep University exam preparation brand for high school students, combining individual tutoring support with video-based instruction at dedicated Oar classrooms.
• Kotaro Juku Study Gym (個太郎塾スタディジム) Member-only self-study room service providing dedicated study environments with access to tutoring support across multiple locations.
• Pensees Frontiere (パンセフロンティエル) Specialized early education program for low-grade elementary students (grades 1-3) offering online gifted education for cognitive and intellectual development.
• Prime Tutors (プライムチューターズ) Online private tutoring service for elite middle school entrance exam preparation, available for current 5th grade students.
• Institutional Training Services Professional staff training services provided to corporate clients, government agencies, and educational institutions, including prefectural boards of education and major Japanese corporations.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gakken (学研)coreTechnology or IntegrationIchishin partners with Gakken to offer 学研プライムゼミ (Gakken Prime Seminar) video lectures and 学研英検ゼミ (Gakken Eiken Seminar) as part of its university exam and English proficiency preparation curriculum. The partnership provides high-quality video instruction content from Gakken's network of top-level instructors for Super Wing and Advance Wing university exam courses.
• WingNet (ウイングネット)coreTechnology or IntegrationIchishin integrates WingNet video lecture content as a core component of its high school and university exam preparation programs. WingNet provides subject-specific video instruction that complements live classroom teaching, particularly for high school-level subjects and university entrance exam preparation.
• Tokyo Global Gateway (TGG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIchishin partners with Tokyo Global Gateway (TGG), a experiential English learning facility in Tokyo, to provide immersive English language learning experiences for students. TGG simulates overseas environments for English practice and is positioned as the ultimate goal of Ichishin's English education curriculum — developing communicative English skills including debate, negotiation, and presentation abilities.
• Eiken Foundation of Japan (日本英語検定協会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIchishin is certified as an 'Eiken Platinum Partner' (第1期 英検®プラチナパートナー) by the Eiken Foundation of Japan. The partnership involves integrated Eiken test preparation within the regular curriculum, supporting students in obtaining Eiken qualifications from grade 5 level through level 2.
• ELST (English Learning System) providercoreTechnology or IntegrationIchishin employs ELST, an English speaking training system that provides instant evaluation and feedback on speaking ability, records learning progress, and gamifies level progression for English speaking skill development.
• Educational Boards and Government Bodies (教委・官公庁)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIchishin provides staff training services to multiple educational boards and government bodies including Gunma Prefecture Board of Education, Yokohama City Board of Education, Funabashi City Board of Education, Japan Railway Construction Transport and Technology Agency, Japan Coast Guard School, and others. This partnership validates teaching quality and provides non-educational sector revenue.
• Major Japanese corporations (NTT東日本、キヤノン、千葉銀行)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIchishin provides employee training programs to major Japanese corporations including NTT East Japan, Canon, and Chiba Bank, leveraging its teaching expertise and curriculum development capabilities beyond the education sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ichishin_gakuin
• Facebookfacebook.com/GkJo.Ichishin.F
• Instagraminstagram.com/ichishin_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ichishin-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ichishin Holdings