Kaito Kikuchi holds an identical version of the iron cauldron that baseball star Shohei Ohtani posted on his social media account on May 14 in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture.
13:23 JST, June 26, 2024
Shohei Ohtani from Los Angeles Dodgers
MORIOKA — A small hardware manufacturer in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, has been flooded with orders from around the world since it was mentioned in a social media post by two-way baseball star Shohei Ohtani. This makes it the latest company to receive an unexpected economic boost thanks to the “Ohtani effect”.
Many requests have been received by Oitomi Inc., which makes traditional nambu tekki iron cauldrons at its workshop in Ohtani’s hometown of Oshu.
On May 9, Ohtani posted photos of an iron cauldron and the message “thank you” on his Instagram account. The cauldron was apparently a gift for Ohtani, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the major American leagues.
Ohtani’s message surprised Kaito Kikuchi, 40, who runs Oitomi. “I couldn’t believe it,” he recalled. “I thought it had to be a joke.”
An identical version of the iron cauldron
The photos showed the ¥24,200 one-liter Miyabi iron kettle, which has a blue color similar to that of the Dodgers’ uniform. The cauldron has an octagonal body, which symbolizes gradual prosperity. and the knob of the lid is decorated with a chrysanthemum shape. The cauldron is said to be popular as a symbol of good luck.
After Ohtani’s post, the company was flooded with orders and inquiries from Japan and abroad. The five Miyabi kettles in stock quickly sold out and Oitomi’s online store received more than 300,000 visits in the three days following the Instagram post. The boiler manufacturer’s company previously recorded around 3,000 hits on a busy day. Customers placing new orders now face wait times of approximately one year.
“I ordered the same item as Mr. Ohtani, which I will keep as a family heirloom,” a 65-year-old company employee in Sendai said with a smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing it in a year.”
Kikuchi added: “I will be very happy when an item comes out [Ohtani’s] hometown becomes a permanent part of his daily life. I hope this will be an opportunity for people around the world to become more interested in nambu tekki hardware.”
Iwaizumi Holdings, a company based in Iwaizumi City, Iwate Prefecture, has also become much better known since Ohtani expressed his love for the yogurt the company produces.
In an interview published on a company website in January 2023, Ohtani recommended the yogurt by name, adding: “It’s really delicious. I think this is the best in the world.” The yogurt was well known in the prefecture and popular for its bouncy texture and natural sweetness that came from raw milk. After the interview, sales through Iwaizumi Holdings’ online site saw a dramatic sevenfold increase.
“It was an honor to see the best player in the world say that our product was the best in the world,” said Yuichi Sakashita, public relations officer at Iwaizumi Holdings. “We hope that Mr. Ohtani will continue to eat our product, and we will continue to support him from Iwate.”
The “Ohtani effect” was also embodied by a samurai helmet made by Marutake Sangyo Co., a company based in Satsuma-Sendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. The helmet made headlines when Ohtani wore it to a home run celebration while playing for the Los Angeles Angels. They became popular as gifts sent to people who donated to a local government under the furusato nozei donation system. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the Satsuma-Sendai administration collected a total of ¥29.15 million from 29 donations.
