Katohachi

What Katohachi does

Katohachi (株式会社加藤八) is a privately-held Japanese B2B eyewear components manufacturer founded in September 1970 and headquartered in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture — the historic center of Japan's domestic eyeglass industry. The company produces optical lenses and printed/deco-rated eyewear components for eyeglass frame manufacturers, lens brands, optical wholesalers, and eyewear retail chains in Japan. Operations are organized across a production department and two core divisions: Optcom (printing and laser marking services on eyewear components) and Lab 21 (injection-molded frame parts). The company also operates one directly-owned optical retail store, Line Optique, opened in 2003.

The company's core technology stack covers the full lens finishing chain: injection molding of acrylic, nylon, and CR-39 resin lenses; lens cutting and processing to fit frame styles; vacuum deposition coating (anti-reflective, mirror, and super-hydrophobic anti-fouling); resin dyeing with controlled color reproducibility and lightfastness; hard coating for scratch resistance; and screen, silk, pad, hot-stamp, inkjet, and UV-laser printing on flat, curved, and irregular surfaces including metal temples. Proprietary specialty lens grades — Across (acrylic UV) and Clares (nylon UV) — provide documented advantages in photostability, weather resistance, crack resistance under screw assembly, and impact resistance. Monthly demo-lens production capacity reaches one million pairs (achieved 1997).

Katohachi generates revenue through hardware sales of manufactured lenses and frame parts, service fees for surface treatment and printing operations, and de minimis retail sales through Line Optique. The go-to-market is sales-led and inquiry-based, with no public pricing, no self-serve channels, and no marketplace presence; engagement is via phone (0778-52-5757), website contact forms, and a YouTube company introduction video published in 2026. Distribution is entirely domestic Japan, focused on the Kansai region and the Sabae eyewear cluster. The company employs approximately 60 staff, has registered capital of ¥30 million (since 1998), is family-led across two generations of the Kato family, and operates as a private Kabushiki Kaisha with no external funding rounds, no public listing, and no disclosed financial figures.

Name

Katohachi

Legal name

株式会社加藤八

Website

https://kato8.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Lens Manufacturing

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Eyewear Manufacturing & OEM/ODM (Frames & Sunglasses) (CRAAAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD), Injection Molded Optical & Transparent Parts (Lenses, Light Guides) (IMANAFAL), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Eyeglass lens manufacturing
• Optical component fabrication
• Vacuum deposition coating
• Resin lens dyeing
• Injection molded frame parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukui

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lens Manufacturing & Processing: B2B manufacturing and processing of acrylic, nylon, and CR-39 optical lenses for the eyewear industry, including UV-cut, hard-coat, and specialty lenses. Revenue is generated through product sales of manufactured lenses and lens processing services.
2. Surface Treatment & Printing Services: Vacuum deposition coating, dyeing, hard-coating, silk screen printing, pad printing, hot stamping, inkjet printing, embossing, and UV laser marking services applied to lenses and eyewear components. Revenue is generated through service fees per processing operation.
3. Injection Molded Frame Parts (ラボ・21): Manufacturing and sale of injection-molded eyeglass frame parts (temples, end pieces) via the Lab 21 division. Revenue from part production and mold development services.
4. Eyewear Retail (ラインオプティーク): Operation of Line Optique, an optical retail store, selling finished eyewear products directly to end consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Katohachi is a B2B manufacturer of eyeglass lenses and eyewear components, providing vertically integrated lens molding (acrylic and nylon UV-cut lenses), lens cutting/processing for various frame styles, vacuum deposition coating (anti-reflective, mirror, super-hydrophobic), resin dyeing and hard coating, and screen/pad printing on lens surfaces and frame parts. The company supplies eyeglass frame manufacturers, lens brands, optical wholesalers, and retail chains in Japan, and also operates the Line Optique retail store for finished eyewear.

Product overview

Katohachi is a lens and optical components manufacturer founded in 1970, operating as a manufacturing company with multiple specialized divisions. The core production operations include Lens Molding (レンズ成形) for manufacturing acrylic and nylon lenses, Lens Processing (レンズ加工) for cutting lenses to fit frames, Vacuum Deposition (真空蒸着) for coatings and mirrors, Dyeing & Hard Coat (染色・ハードコート) for color treatments and surface protection, and Screen Printing (シルクスクリーン印刷) for lens decoration. The company operates two divisions: Optcom (オプトコム) handles pad printing, hot stamp, inkjet printing, and UV laser marking for eyeglass components, while Lab 21 (ラボ・21) produces frame parts through injection molding. Product portfolio includes specific lens variants such as Pin Coat Lens, Across (acrylic UV), and Clares (nylon UV) designed for eyeglass applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lens Molding (レンズ成形) Manufactures acrylic and nylon UV-cut lenses for eyeglasses through injection molding. Product line includes Pin Coat lenses, Across (acrylic UV), and Clares (nylon UV) variants with UV protection, scratch resistance, and crack resistance. Serves eyeglass frame manufacturers and lens brands in the eyewear industry.
• Lens Processing (レンズ加工) Cuts and shapes uncut lenses to fit various eyeglass frame styles including full-rim and two-point frames. Handles multiple resin types such as acrylic, polycarbonate, CR-39, nylon, and urethane-based resins.
• Vacuum Deposition Coating (真空蒸着) Provides anti-reflective coatings, mirror treatments (eccentric mirror, pastel KP mirror, color mirror), and oil-repellent/anti-fouling super-hydrophobic coatings applied via vacuum vapor deposition. Handles various substrate materials including metal temple parts with UV laser marking.
• Dyeing & Hard Coat (染色・ハードコート) Dyes resin lenses in acrylic, CR-39, and nylon materials in custom colors with controlled color reproducibility and lightfastness. Applies hard coat treatments to acrylic and nylon lenses for scratch resistance. Also handles hemispherical cover shapes.
• Screen Printing (シルクスクリーン印刷) Screen printing on lens surfaces using 200–300 mesh screens for single and multi-color printing on eyeglass lenses. Offered as a standalone decoration service to eyewear manufacturers.
• Optcom Printing Services (オプトコム) Specialized printing division offering pad printing (on curved, concave, and convex surfaces), screen printing, hot stamp, inkjet printing, and UV laser marking for eyeglass components including fronts, temples, and end pieces. Includes embossed printing capability.
• Lab 21 Frame Parts Molding (ラボ・21) Produces eyeglass frame parts (temples, end pieces) through injection molding using heated resin (200–400°C) filled into molds. Includes molding and cutting departments for frame components.
• Line Optique Retail Store (ラインオプティーク) Company-operated optical retail store in Sabae, Fukui, selling finished eyewear products directly to end consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Demo lens production capacity of 1 million pairs per month

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 株式会社舞企画 (Mai Kiku Co., Ltd.)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Mai Kiku Co., Ltd. was spun off from Katohachi's舞企画 (Mai Kiku) division in July 2022 as an independent company, with Kato Eita (加藤 永大), Director/Senior Managing Director at Katohachi, appointed as its representative director. The entity specializes in high-curve special processing (ハイカーブ特殊加工) for eyewear components, continuing the technical relationship with Katohachi as a related-party entity rather than an external partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• HOYA Corporation: Major Japanese manufacturer of eyeglass lenses (phoenix, EYRY), optical glass, and contact lenses, with vertically integrated lens production. Hoya is a far larger incumbent in the same Japanese lens-manufacturing category where Katohachi operates, though at much greater scale and breadth.
• Fujifilm Corporation: Through its optical products business, Fujifilm produces camera and projection lenses and various optical components, with surface coating expertise. A broader optical manufacturer that overlaps with Katohachi in coating/vacuum-deposition know-how.
• Nikon-Essilor Co., Ltd. Japanese joint venture between Nikon and Essilor producing premium eyeglass lenses including high-index and progressive designs with coatings. A larger, branded incumbent in the same Japanese lens manufacturing space.

Direct peers

• Tokai Optical Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of plastic eyeglass lenses (CR-39, high-index, polarized) with coating and dyeing capabilities — closely paralleling Katohachi's lens molding, processing, coating, and dyeing value proposition.
• Seiko Optical Products Co., Ltd. Japanese eyeglass lens maker producing plastic lenses with coatings and treatments, also serving the domestic and regional eyewear industry. Directly comparable in product category (plastic lenses) and customer base (frame makers, optical retailers).

Others

• Asahi Kasei Corporation: Supplies specialty plastics and coating chemistries used in eyewear lens manufacturing. Functions as a materials ecosystem participant adjacent to Katohachi's lens molding and coating operations.
• Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Producer of MR-series high-index lens monomers (MR-7, MR-8, MR-10, MR-174) used globally in plastic eyeglass lenses. An upstream supplier/adjacent participant in the same plastic-lens value chain that Katohachi serves.

Regional players

• Charmant Co., Ltd. Sabae, Fukui-based eyewear frame manufacturer with global brands including LineArt and Charmant Z. A fellow Fukui cluster peer and likely customer-adjacent OEM; though a frame maker rather than lens maker, it shares Katohachi's Sabae heritage and eyewear-industry DNA.
• Yamamoto Kogaku Co., Ltd. (SWANS): Japanese eyewear manufacturer known for the SWANS sport/performance brand and OEM sunglasses production, including Sabae-area manufacturing. A fellow Japanese eyewear OEM with potentially overlapping lens and component sourcing needs.
• Intermestic Inc. Japanese eyewear company operating the Zoff, OWNDAYS, and glasses assembly brands; manufactures and retails eyewear domestically. A potential large customer and a regional player sharing Japanese-market dynamics with Katohachi.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/H0WDOSwo8b0
• Instagramkato8.jp/publics/index/30

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Katohachi