Gosho Industry

What Gosho Industry does

Gosho Industry (ごしょう産業株式会社, legally registered as 後正産業株式会社 / Gosei Industry Co., Ltd.) is a privately held Japanese handicraft yarn manufacturer founded in 1965 and headquartered in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture — within the Banshu (尾州) textile cluster, Japan's historic wool production region. The company operates a vertically integrated production model encompassing product development, spinning, twisting (撚糸), dyeing (染), and finished-product processing in-house, and positions itself as the only Japanese yarn producer controlling the full chain from raw material to consumer. Its portfolio is anchored by two consumer brands, 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns) and 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ (Keito Zakka Stores), plus an official online store brand (あみこもびより / Amikomo Biyori) and a dedicated 100-yen shop sub-line distributed through Seria and CanDo.

Gosho sells through three primary channels: an owned e-commerce storefront (gosyo-shop.jp), branded storefronts on Japan's two largest online marketplaces (Rakuten and Yahoo Shopping), and wholesale distribution into Seria and CanDo 100-yen retail chains. Pricing is bifurcated — premium branded yarns are sold at standard price points through e-commerce and marketplaces (specific pricing not publicly disclosed), while 100-yen shop products are sold at 100 yen per unit. Distribution is exclusively domestic (Japan), with all channels serving individual consumers ranging from first-time crafters purchasing entry-level 100-yen yarn to dedicated hobbyists purchasing premium branded product.

The company's go-to-market is content- and community-led rather than paid-media-driven. It publishes free knitting patterns and YouTube tutorial videos, operates a bi-annual craft contest (毛糸ピエロ作品コンテスト) with public voting that has grown from 139 entries (44th edition, 2023-24) to 288 entries (48th edition, 2025-26), and runs a touring in-person market event series (ごしょうマーケット / Gosho Market) that resumed geographic expansion in 2026 with new host cities and a Sapporo return after a three-year hiatus. The company employs 11-50 people, is privately held with no disclosed external investment, and reported a public brand-impersonation warning in February 2026 — a defensive signal rather than a growth one.

Name

Gosho Industry

Legal name

後正産業株式会社 (Gosei Industry Co., Ltd.)

Website

http://gosyo.co.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gosho Industry is a 60-year-old, privately held Japanese handicraft yarn manufacturer in the Banshu textile region, operating fully integrated spinning-to-sales production. It sells 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns) and a 100-yen shop line to Japanese knitting and crocheting consumers via owned e-commerce, Rakuten, Yahoo, and Seria/CanDo retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handicraft Yarn Manufacturing

NAICS

Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (313110)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Supplies Retail (CRALACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Shops (CRALADAC)

Keywords

• Handicraft yarn manufacturing
• Knitting yarn supplies
• Cotton wool spinning
• Crochet fiber products
• Japanese textile production

Headquarters

HQ city

Ichinomiya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Yarn and craft supply product sales: Gosho Industry generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of handicraft yarns and knitting supplies. The company controls the full value chain — from yarn development and production through to direct consumer sales — and sells both premium branded products (毛糸ピエロ, 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ) at standard price points via owned e-commerce and marketplace stores, and value-line products at 100 yen per unit through retail chains.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gosho Industry is a vertically integrated Japanese handicraft yarn manufacturer that produces and sells cotton, wool, and specialty yarns for knitting and crocheting. Operating from the Banshu (尾州) textile region in Aichi Prefecture since 1965, the company controls the full value chain from product development through spinning, twisting (撚糸), dyeing (染), and finished product processing. It sells under the 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns) and 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ (Keito ZAKKA Stores) brands via owned e-commerce (gosyo-shop.jp), Japanese marketplaces (Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping), and 100-yen retail chains (Seria, CanDo).

Product overview

Gosho Industry Co., Ltd. (ごしょう産業株式会社 / Gosyo Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese handicraft yarn manufacturer established in 1965 and headquartered in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture—a major textile region known as 'Bishu.' The company operates a vertically integrated business model, handling product development, manufacturing, processing, and sales internally. Their product portfolio centers on yarn products for hand-knitting and crocheting, sold under the 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns) and 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ brands. They distribute through multiple channels: the あみこもびより official online store, major Japanese e-commerce marketplaces (Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping), and 100-yen shop chains (Seria, CanDo). Supporting products, the company publishes free craft patterns and organizes the 毛糸ピエロ作品コンテスト, a bi-annual knitting contest with public voting, to drive customer engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns): Primary brand for craft yarn and knitting products, sold on Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, and official store
• 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ (Keito ZAKKA Stores)
• あみこもびより (Amikomo Biyori)

Products and services

• 毛糸ピエロ (Pierrot Yarns) Main brand of handcraft yarns featuring cotton, wool, and specialty yarns for knitting and crocheting, sold primarily through Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping marketplaces to hobbyist craft consumers.
• 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ (Keito ZAKKA Stores) Secondary yarn brand focusing on zakka (miscellaneous goods) style yarn products, sold through Rakuten marketplace to hobbyist craft consumers.
• あみこもびより (Amikomo Biyori) - Official Online Store Official online store operated by Gosho Industry, offering the full range of Gosho yarn products directly to consumers; functions as the company's flagship direct-to-consumer storefront.
• Seria 100-yen Shop Yarn Line Dedicated yarn product line distributed wholesale through Seria 100-yen shops at 100 yen per unit, including seasonal collections targeting entry-level and price-conscious crafters.
• CanDo 100-yen Shop Yarn Line Dedicated yarn product line distributed wholesale through CanDo 100-yen shops at 100 yen per unit, including seasonal collections serving as a key mass-market distribution channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seasonal yarn contests receive hundreds of entries (288 works submitted for the 48th 2025-26 contest, 236 for the 47th 2025 contest, 139 for the 44th 2023-24 contest), demonstrating a large and active community of engaged users.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Seria (セリア)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGosho Industry supplies dedicated yarn product lines to Seria, a major 100-yen shop chain in Japan. Products include seasonal collections (2026 Spring/Summer yarn catalog) sold at 100 yen per unit, targeting entry-level and price-conscious crafters. The partnership expands Gosho's reach to consumers who may not otherwise visit specialty yarn retailers.
• CanDo (キャンドゥ)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSimilar to the Seria partnership, Gosho Industry supplies dedicated yarn products to CanDo, another major Japanese 100-yen shop chain, with seasonal product catalogs (2026 Spring/Summer). This channel serves as a key mass-market distribution and customer acquisition route.
• Rakuten JapancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGosho Industry operates branded storefronts on Rakuten — 毛糸ピエロ and 毛糸ZAKKAストアーズ — two of the highest-traffic e-commerce platforms in Japan. These marketplace stores serve the mid-to-premium hobbyist segment and generate significant transaction volume.
• Yahoo! Shopping JapanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor毛糸ピエロ operates an official Yahoo! Shopping storefront alongside the Rakuten presence, providing additional marketplace coverage for the Pierrot Yarns brand.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hamanaka Co., Ltd. Major Japanese handicraft yarn manufacturer selling cotton, wool and specialty yarns for knitting and crocheting under its own consumer brands, with broadly comparable product breadth and B2C go-to-market in Japan.
• DARUMA Co., Ltd. (Igarashi Shōji): Historic Japanese yarn and sewing-thread manufacturer supplying handicraft and industrial thread; directly comparable as a long-tenured, Japan-domestic handicraft yarn maker selling through craft retail and OEM channels.
• Clover Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Japanese handicraft accessories maker (knitting needles, hooks, notions) sold through the same craft retail channel mix as Gosho — comparable in distribution pattern and craft hobbyist target customer.
• Lion Brand Yarn Company: Long-running US-based handicraft yarn brand producing spun and novelty yarns across cotton/wool/synthetic blends, sold direct-to-consumer online plus wholesale; close functional analog to Pierrot/Keito ZAKKA.
• Red Heart (Coats): Mass-market yarn brand owned by Coats; competes in mainstream acrylic and cotton yarns for hobby knitting/crochet, mirroring Gosho's entry-to-mid-tier value proposition, scaled globally.
• Rowan Yarns (Spinrite): Premium heritage knitting yarn brand known for designer-led pattern collections; comparable in vertical content/yarn business model where brand and free patterns drive premium yarn sales.
• Scheepjes (browseSCHEEPJES.com): Dutch yarn brand with strong online-first DTC presence and engaged crafter community (CAL events, pattern library); mirrors Gosho's content-driven D2C + marketplace model outside Japan.
• Knit Picks (Craftsy/BPC): Online-first US yarn brand carrying a wide range of natural and specialty yarns at accessible price tiers sold direct through owned e-commerce; functionally comparable D2C handicraft yarn retailer.
• DMC (Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie): French craft thread and yarn brand best known for embroidery floss with global distribution; directly comparable premium-style brand in the handicraft consumer yarn/thread market.

Broad incumbents

• Coats Group plc: Global industrial sewing thread and craft yarn conglomerate owning Red Heart, Coats & Clark and Rowan; relevant as a much larger incumbent overlapping with Gosho's category across both thread and yarn.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gosyoinfo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/pierrotyarn
• Instagraminstagram.com/ごしょう産業

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Gosho Industry