About ZNONZ

As the third generation of the family business is approaching its final stage, and the possibility of transitioning to the fourth generation is on the horizon, we launched Zunon Co., Ltd. in order to realize the dream that we had always envisioned.

The company's mission is to deliver products and services that are tailored to the needs of people with specific interests, rather than just for everyone.
In other words,
Not a product that everyone wants,
We provide products that people want.

The origins of this business stem from the many treasured ideas of people who cannot forget the former glory of the domestic small-scale manufacturing industry, which has become an endangered species due to the continued hollowing out of industry. This is because we wanted to discover, re-evaluate, and commercialize something valuable that has a high degree of feasibility, backed by numerous experiences.
And when I tried to do it this way, something special and unique naturally came to mind.

Until around 1970, Tokyo's downtown area was a gathering place for small and medium-sized factories and was one of the origins of Japanese manufacturing. However, due to the rapid appreciation of the yen, the large companies that were our customers moved their factories overseas, causing jobs in the downtown area and subcontracting industries to be lost. During this period, many people were forced to go out of business due to their efforts in vain in various ways, and there is no sign of them now. Although shareholder capitalism and globalization are a skill, we cannot help but feel a sense of emptiness. And this has caused many excellent incomplete combustion engineers to die in vain.

I am also the last person to know the era when these companies were active and active. Some of my senior colleagues have many ideas and knowledge cultivated through years of practical experience, but they face the dilemma of not having the space, friends, or funds to share them with the world. And these people are nearing the end of their lives.
Therefore, our company's main purpose is to revive collaboration and achieve results with these people who can be called compatriots. This is also the reason why we are particular about domestic production.

The name was chosen by a process of elimination, creating all combinations of the 26 letters of the alphabet that can only be read upside down. (A, B, C, etc. are not allowed, O, H, I, etc. are OK)
The spelling of ZNONZ was first created, and the Z at the end was used as a silent letter, and the word ZNONZ was decided. It has a rather strong sound, but I like it.

The hexagonal shape is called a Necker cube, which is a ``3D that cannot exist in reality'' that intentionally creates an optical illusion. It was invented in 1832 by Louis Albert Necker of Switzerland. At the time, its incomprehensible nature had a great impact, and it was later inherited by artists such as Escher, who is famous for his illustrations of the Infinite Staircase. This was the origin of the development of image technology that applied optical illusions such as image printing, color printing, and movies. The ZNONZ emblem adds the Izutsu crest, which is a type of Japanese family crest, to express the Japanese spirit and Western wisdom, and also expresses the company's position as a company that provides various products that utilize optical illusions.

Our representative received the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award from the government in 2008 and the Medal with Yellow Ribbon from His Majesty the Emperor in 2009 for the invention of the microlens manufacturing method. This is a technology that has been patented several times since the first patent was filed in 1993.
ZNONZ has proceeded with development as an extension of this. We have already obtained rights to several patents, trademarks, and designs, and are currently filing international applications for them.

The owner of the restaurant, Zunobu, grew up watching freight yards where steam locomotives worked. The smell of black smoke and the powerful movements are still etched in my eyelids. Unable to forget this, I bought a single-lens reflex camera when I was in high school in order to capture the heroic images of steam locomotives that were disappearing due to modernization. I decided on the model to be Nippon Kogaku, where my uncle worked.

Later, as my interest in photography deepened and I learned the printing technology that is the mainstay of my family's business, I went to university to study the only imaging technology course in the country. As a side note, I met my wife in the photography club. I consider the image field to be my domain.

When the photography market started to change from silver halide to digital, a certain customer asked us if we could mass produce pinhole cameras. Our company also manufactures paper boxes, so when we answered, ``Dark boxes are OK,'' they asked, ``What should we do about pinholes?'' It was a challenge, but once we were able to achieve stable mass production, we established a business and produced hundreds of thousands of film camera kits over the next few years.

After that, it went on hiatus as the market became all about digital, but unexpectedly it revived two years ago and has continued, albeit a little.

During this time, through interactions with various people, I received knowledge about zone plates and other things, which inspired me to refine it to fit the digital age, resulting in ZNONZ.

We believe that the purpose of our business is to provide happiness to our customers. To this end, products and services must not only satisfy requirements such as safety, security, low cost, and sustainability, but also provide products and services that happily satisfy all human senses. I think this is a sufficient condition.

The human senses are made up of five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Of these, only two senses, visual and auditory, can be handled by digital technology, so it can be said that this will not satisfy all of people's desires. I think the product will be better if it satisfies the remaining three senses. This is why we have created a product for the Proust effect as communication through smell. Needless to say, we would also like to commercialize tactile and taste sensations.

○○ translated ``photograph'' as ``photo'', but I think this is correct. I think that since photo means light and graph means image, it is correct to translate it as "light painting." If something is called a ``photo'', it means ``representing the truth,'' and anything processed using modern digital technology is not ``the truth,'' so it is not a ``photo.'' Furthermore, the stereotype that only Japanese people have that photography is something that depicts the truth can be rather comical from the perspective of the rest of the world.

When a large company starts a new business, it seems that the plan will not go through unless it is expected to generate sales and profits of several billion yen in a few years. However, small companies do not have such restrictions. It's up to you.

ZNONZ was started with this thought in mind. However, the founder must be prepared to bear all the risks. I was also fortunate to have several partners. Of course, you can't run a business alone.

I definitely want to grow to a certain scale that is recognized by myself and others, but I don't want it to grow to a scale where I can't do what I want to do or what I think is a good idea from the requests.

I am aware that there is a ``right time'' and ``tide'' for things. Just like the analogy of ``having more boatmen, climbing more boats, and climbing more mountains,'' I don't think we'll be able to meet the expectations of our customers if we take the time to judge and miss these points.

Please refrain from making declarations such as hundreds of millions in sales or number of employees, but I am starting with the above idea.

Representative Director Yoshihide Yumoto