Supporting athletes’ “best performance” with physical therapy equipment[Ito Ultrashort Wave Co., Ltd. (Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture)]| Supporting athletes in Paris | J-Net21[中小企業ビジネス支援サイト]
Supporting athletes in Paris
March 11, 2024
Ito Ultra Short Wave President Tsukasa Kurahashi (right) and Sports Business Promotion Manager Kei Arai support the success of athletes.
Ito Ultra High Frequency Co., Ltd. has a history of more than 100 years as a pioneer in physical therapy equipment including ultra high frequency treatment devices. It is a company that supports the sports world behind the scenes by supporting the treatment and conditioning of many athletes, including professional baseball and soccer players both domestically and internationally. Since launching the “ITO Sports Project” 25 years ago, he has been behind the scenes supporting the winning of medals in numerous Olympic events, including judo. We will support each athlete so that they can show their best performance at this summer’s Paris Games.
Making many people healthy through the spirit of “Bodhisattva practice” that prioritizes the happiness of others
The photo above shows Japan’s first large-scale medical ultrashort wave treatment device manufactured by Kenji Ito (right).The photo below is a small home-use ultrashort wave treatment device.
Physical therapy is a type of physical therapy that uses physical stimulation such as ultrasound, low frequency waves, electricity, and heat to alleviate symptoms and restore basic movement abilities. The company’s founder, Kenji Ito, conducted research on X-rays in the United States before establishing Tokyo Medical Denki Co., Ltd. in 1916, and succeeded in developing Japan’s first AC X-ray device. Later, after learning about the therapeutic effects of ultrashort waves from a paper by a German scholar, Ito conducted his own research and in 1934 developed Japan’s first large-scale ultrashortwave treatment device for medical use. Two years later, he introduced a miniaturized home-use ultrashort wave therapy device to the world. After the war, in 1946, Ito High Frequency Research Institute Co., Ltd. was established (current company name after reorganization in 1957). The company develops and manufactures various physical therapy devices such as low-frequency therapy devices.
What Mr. Ito always talked about was the spirit of “bodhisattva practice.” He believed in altruism, putting the happiness of others before his own, and instead of making money by selling products, his first priority was to make as many people healthy as possible. In fact, they even provided treatment equipment for free to people who couldn’t afford to buy it. Tsukasa Kurahashi, the 7th president of the company, said, “I heard that when (Mr. Ito) was living in Hakone after his retirement, he would occasionally receive registered mail in cash saying, “I would like to pay back the amount I paid back then, even if only little by little.” “There is,” he says.
“ITO Sports Project” started the year before the Sydney Olympics
(From left) Signed official supplier contracts with many organizations including Nagoya Grampus, Japan Triathlon Union, Japan Hockey Association, and curling club “Loco Solare.”
One initiative that can be said to have inherited the founder’s ideas is the “ITO Sports Project,” which aims to support the treatment and conditioning of athletes and encourage their success. It all started in 1999, just before the Sydney Olympics the following year. Since he had deep connections with people involved in judo, he received a request from the All Japan Judo Federation and began supporting athletes. During the Olympics, he used the company’s treatment equipment to treat the areas he had injured in the previous competition. We provided support to help them prepare for the next match. Of course, with physical therapy equipment, there is no need to worry about doping, unlike oral medications.
Many athletes, including Tadahiro Nomura, who won the gold medal in Sydney, carried treatment devices with them, and the project attracted attention from athletes in other sports, and the scope of support for the project has since expanded. In addition to being an official sponsor of the All Japan Judo Federation, we currently collaborate with more than 40 organizations, including the Japan Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, Japan Athletics Federation, Japan Hockey Association, Japan Triathlon Union, and J League and B League teams and clubs. have a contract.
Exhibited at MEDICA, the world’s largest medical device related exhibition
ITO’s reputation is spreading overseas as well. We expanded overseas at an early stage, such as opening an office in Shanghai, China (1994) and exhibiting for the first time at MEDICA, the world’s largest medical equipment related exhibition (1996), and there are many foreigners who have played in Japan. This was because the players returned to their home countries and introduced the company’s products, and during the 2002 Soccer World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the company received requests from national teams from many countries and lent the equipment free of charge.
He also contributed to the historic feat of foreign athletes at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He provided treatment equipment to the national team in Vietnam, where his company has offices, and this led to him winning the country’s first medal. The Vietnamese government expressed their gratitude, saying, “Thank you, we were able to win this medal.” Mr. Kurahashi said, “We have had a long relationship with Vietnam since we set up our office in 1998.I was very happy to be able to help them win medals.” In some cases, he appears to be supporting foreign athletes who could be rivals to Japanese athletes with the “heart of a bodhisattva.”
Canoe player Haneda, men’s volleyball player Ishikawa and Takahashi also
Ito Ultra Short Wave Brand Ambassador/Image Athlete
There are many athletes who personally own and use the company’s treatment devices. Major League pitcher Kenta Maeda, professional golfer Chie Arimura, canoeist Takuya Haneda, who has been selected to represent the Paris Olympics, and men’s volleyball players Yuki Ishikawa and Ai Takahashi, to name a few. There is no.
Among them, Takahashi, who plays in Italy while attending Nippon Sport Science University, gave an interview to the company last year and said, “When I use the treatment device at night, it feels different in the morning, and my knees feel more comfortable. “Treatment devices are essential self-care items.” He also said that although he initially used the product as instructed by his trainer, “After that, I started practicing self-care through trial and error, and about a year ago I arrived at my current method.” It is said that it continues.
The voices of these athletes are fed back to the company and utilized. Kei Arai, Head of Sports Business Promotion at Sales Headquarters 1, said, “Effective usage and setting methods have been accumulated for each sport, and based on that know-how, we have been able to move beyond the original goal of quickly healing injuries and other injuries. , we have progressed to creating conditions that prevent injury, and now we are also aiming to improve the performance of athletes.We want to use our equipment as a weapon for athletes to win.”
Injured athlete treated in secret, surprised by quick recovery
Treatment using equipment
Here are some stories from athletes who use treatment devices. Aiko Sugihara, a female gymnast who participated in two consecutive Olympics in Rio and Tokyo, suffered from a complete fracture of the navicular bone in her right leg from the winter of 2019 to the spring of the following year, and needed treatment after surgery. The company’s ultrasonic fracture treatment device was used at the time. This is a device that uses the sound pressure effect of ultrasound waves to promote bone formation at the fracture site. Sugihara was skeptical, saying, “Will this help her heal?” as there was no particular irritation as the application continued to be applied to her injured area, but her pain was alleviated within a few days, and she was able to return to work about two months earlier than planned. That’s what it means.
Sugihara was surprised by his unexpectedly quick recovery, but Arai and others were also surprised to learn that Sugihara had sustained such a serious injury so long after the Tokyo Olympics. Only the staff in charge knew. “Athletes’ injuries and other conditions are top secret.Depending on the time of year, information is strictly controlled because it can affect national team selection.There is no need to report it to the president or superiors,” Arai says.
In addition to this, there was an accident in which a player was injured in an accident a few weeks before a competition related to selection for the Japanese national team. Although the fact of his injury was kept a secret, the company lent him treatment equipment and supported him, and as a result, he was able to achieve excellent results in the competition, and went on to win a medal at the subsequent Olympics. Mr. Arai emphasized, “There are so many stories that cannot be expressed publicly, but I can proudly say that we are doing a good job.”
Supporting national athletes to prepare for the big stage that attracts the world’s attention
Head office moved to Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture in 2018
We will provide support not only during the Paris Games, but also at training camps held domestically and internationally for each event. It is said that there is a greater risk of injury and poor condition in pre-tournament training camps, where training is more rigorous than in the actual tournament. For this reason, the company will not only lend out treatment equipment, but will also have employees go to the field and provide training to athletes on how to use it. We strive to provide support that is tailored to each individual player, such as providing individualized support when players bring their own equipment. In addition, although we hold training camps overseas where the voltage is different from that in Japan, we have actively promoted overseas expansion, exporting to approximately 100 countries, and are confident that our equipment will be fully effective in any country. I’m confident that we can do it,” Kurahashi said.
In addition, Kurahashi says, “I want to create an environment where they can train hard enough without compromising their condition, and support them so that they can perform at their best in competitions.” With the desire to “support athletes to their full potential,” we will support the bold challenges of national athletes as they prepare for the big stage in Paris, which attracts attention from all over the world.
corporate data
Company name Ito Ultra High Frequency Co., Ltd. Website Established 1916 Capital 99.5 million yen Number of employees 333 (as of December 2023) Representative Tsukasa Kurahashi Location 3-1-8 Sakaemachi, Kawaguchi City, Saitama Tel 048-254-1011 Business Contents Manufacture and sale of hospital and home treatment equipment, rehabilitation equipment, health equipment, beauty equipment, etc.
2024-03-11 01:06:25
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