KASHIMA

What KASHIMA does

KASHIMA (鹿島商事株式会社) is a privately held Japanese jewelry and gemstone trading company founded in 1953 and headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo, with approximately 150 employees. The company operates a vertically integrated business spanning direct import of diamonds, colored gemstones, and art from global sources (India, Belgium, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United States); in-house quality control using specialized inspection equipment; proprietary jewelry design and manufacturing featuring advanced setting techniques such as Mystery Setting (ミステリーセッティング) and Micro Setting (マイクロSetter); and multi-channel distribution across Japan.

The company serves three primary customer segments: (1) Japanese department stores and specialty retailers — its core B2B wholesale channel — including Seibu, Mitsukoshi, Isetan, Takashimaya, Hankyu, Matsuya, Tenmaya, and Daimaru-Sazakoya; (2) media-channel consumers reached via TV shopping, radio, and print/internet catalogs; and (3) luxury direct-to-consumer buyers through its proprietary brand boutiques (Gallery Kashima, Basel Excellent, Dia Pas a Pas). Four international buying offices (Antwerp, Bangkok, New York, Mumbai) underpin direct-source procurement.

Kashima is owned and led by President Kashima Hiromasa (鹿島 浩雅) under an explicit anti-IPO, "appropriate scale" (適正規模, target ~¥10B annual sales) management philosophy that prioritizes long-term operational stability, no mandatory retirement age, and gender equality over scale expansion. No external institutional investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity is recorded in the available data.

Name

KASHIMA

Legal name

鹿島商事株式会社

Website

https://web-kashima.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KASHIMA is a privately held Japanese gemstone and jewelry trading company founded in 1953 that imports, manufactures, and distributes gems through Japanese department stores, e-commerce marketplaces, media channels, and its own branded retail boutiques.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewelry Wholesale and Retail

NAICS

Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423940), Jewelry Retailers (458310)

SIC

Wholesale-Jewelry, Watches, Precious Stones & Metals (5094), Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Jewelry Wholesale & Trading (CRAKAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diamond Jewelry (CRAKAAAA), Bridal & Engagement Jewelry Manufacturing (CRAKAIAC)

Keywords

• Jewelry import wholesale
• Gemstone trading
• Luxury jewelry retail
• Proprietary jewelry brands
• Jewelry manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Gem & Art Import Wholesale: Import of diamonds, colored gemstones, and jewelry products directly from global sources (India, Belgium, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc.) combined with domestic wholesale distribution to department stores and specialty retailers across Japan.
2. Media Sales: Wholesale and direct provision of jewelry and gem products to media channels including TV shopping, radio, internet catalogs, and print catalogs. Staff also appear on television programs to demonstrate and sell products directly.
3. Original Brand Retail (ディアパサパ): Direct retail sales of proprietary jewelry brand Dia Pas a Pas through company-owned boutique stores and gallery showrooms, using high-quality gemstones with advanced setting techniques.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kashima is a jewelry trading company that directly imports diamonds and colored gemstones from international sources, performs in-house design and manufacturing of jewelry, conducts quality control, and distributes products through three main channels: wholesale to Japanese department stores and specialty retailers, media sales via TV/radio/catalogs, and proprietary brand boutiques selling the Dia Pasapas and Basel Excellent jewelry lines.

Product overview

KASHIMA operates as a gem and art import/wholesale company with three main business pillars: (1) Gems and Art Import/Wholesale — sourcing diamonds, colored stones, and art directly from global markets including India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Belgium, and the US; (2) Media Sales — distributing products through TV, radio, internet, and catalog channels; and (3) Original Brands — the company manufactures and retails proprietary jewelry lines including the current flagship brand 'Dia Pasapas' (launched 2011), previously 'Basel Excellent' (1998), sold through the direct retail store 'Gallery Kashima' (2017). All operations are supported by in-house quality control and design/processing departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ディアパサパ (Dia Pasapas): 最高品質こだわり厳選された宝石を使用してミステリーSETTINGやマイクロSETTINGなど世界最高水準の技術を駆使してデザイン・制作するオリジナルブランド (Original brand using highest quality carefully selected gemstones with world-class techniques such as mystery setting and micro setting)
• バーゼルエクセellent (Basel Excellent)
• ギャラリーカシマ (Gallery Kashima)

Products and services

• Gems & Art Import/Wholesale (宝石・美術品輸入卸) Import and wholesale of high-quality diamonds, colored gemstones, and art pieces sourced directly from international markets including India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Belgium, and the United States, supplied to Japanese department stores and specialty retailers. Supported by an in-house quality control department and in-house design and processing staff.
• Media Sales (メディア販売) Distribution of imported gemstones and jewelry products through media channels including TV shopping programs, radio shows, internet catalogs, and print catalogs, with Kashima sales staff appearing on television to present and sell products directly.
• Dia Pasapas (ディアパサパ) Kashima's flagship original jewelry brand featuring high-quality gemstones with world-class proprietary setting techniques (Mystery Setting and Micro Setting), designed and manufactured in-house and sold through company-operated boutiques under the Gallery Kashima retail name.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• 駐日タイ王国大使館 (Royal Thai Embassy in Japan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, Kashima hosted a reception at the company inviting Thailand's Ambassador to Japan, strengthening trade and cultural relations between Japan and Thailand in the gem and jewelry sector.
• ベルギー大使館 (Embassy of Belgium)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970In 1970, Kashima co-organized the Belgium Diamond Fair nationwide across Japan, sponsored by the Embassy of Belgium. This was a landmark event for promoting Belgian diamonds in Japan and establishing Kashima's reputation in the diamond trade.
• 大洋商事minorOthersListed as a related company (関連会社) in the company profile. Nature of the relationship is not specified beyond the corporate affiliation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• 4°C (Yondoshi): Japanese fine jewelry brand with proprietary retail boutiques and department store presence, particularly in bridal and colored stone categories. Comparable in operating a Japanese proprietary jewelry brand through department stores and DTC stores.
• K.UNO: Japanese custom bridal jewelry retailer operating proprietary boutiques across Japan. Overlaps with Kashima's bridal and engagement jewelry segments and Gallery Kashima DTC channel, focused exclusively on the Japanese domestic market.
• Ginza Diamond Shiraishi: Japanese bridal diamond jewelry retailer with department store and proprietary boutique presence. Comparable to Kashima in Japanese bridal diamond distribution and counter/counter-style sales channels.
• I-PRIMO: Japanese bridal jewelry specialist with proprietary boutique chain. Comparable to Kashima's bridal jewelry segment and department store counter presence, serving the same Japanese wedding market with a focused bridal positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Mikimoto: Iconic Japanese fine jewelry brand with retail boutiques and department store counters. Overlaps with Kashima in premium jewelry distribution through department store channels, though Mikimoto focuses on cultured pearls as its signature product.
• TASAKI & Co. Established Japanese pearl and fine jewelry manufacturer-retailer with proprietary brand stores and department store presence. Comparable as a vertically integrated Japanese jewelry company, though Tasaki is significantly larger and globally recognized.
• Luk Fook Holdings: Hong Kong-based jewelry retailer and wholesaler with multi-brand strategy and department store-style retail presence. Comparable business model spanning import, manufacturing, and multi-brand retail of fine jewelry.
• Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group: Hong Kong-headquartered Asian jewelry giant with extensive retail network and vertically integrated diamond and gold sourcing. Comparable to Kashima in the wholesale-plus-retail jewelry model across Asian markets, though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Tatsumi Trading: Major Japanese jewelry and gemstone import-wholesale trading company with overlapping operations in department store supply, diamond sourcing, and proprietary brand retail—directly comparable to Kashima's core wholesale-import business model.
• Asahi Gems: Japanese gemstone and jewelry wholesaler operating in a similar import-and-distribute model, supplying department stores and specialty retailers across Japan with comparable target customers and channel structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kashimashoji

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 KASHIMA