Kamogata, Asakuchi City, is one of Okayama Prefecture’s leading “noodle towns,” having flourished as a producer of hand-stretched noodles since the Edo period.
Suzuki Menko Co., Ltd., introduced in this article, is a machinery manufacturer that makes noodle-making machines and other equipment essential to making noodles.
Although they are rarely seen by ordinary consumers, we took a look at the world of noodle-making machines, which quietly support our food culture, and the company’s passion for manufacturing.
The information presented was current when this article was published in February 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
It began with waterwheels and stone mills
Suzuki Menko was founded in 1922 as a flour-milling business powered by waterwheels, and this year (2026) marks its 104th year in business.
Kamogata, Asakuchi City, was a region where wheat was widely grown as a second crop in rice paddies from the Edo period onward.
The harvested wheat was milled using waterwheels and stone mills powered by the water of the Sugitani River, which flows through the town. It is said that this was how hand-stretched noodle-making began in the area, with the noodles made as a preserved food using wheat flour.
Hand-stretched noodle-making, carried out mainly as a sideline during the agricultural off-season (winter), involved a great deal of strenuous manual labor.
In 1930, founder Suzuki Yaichi developed the “two-strand kakeba machine,” which reduced the labor required for the most time-consuming step in making hand-stretched noodles: the “kakeba” process.
Kakeba is the process of winding noodles, about 0.5 cm in diameter, in a figure-eight pattern around two rods using a machine.
The two-strand kakeba machine caught the attention of nearby businesses in the same industry and quickly spread throughout Japan. Since then, the company has developed and sold a variety of products as a noodle-machine manufacturer, and continues to do so today.
The company also develops and manufactures food-processing machinery other than noodle machines, including machines for making nama yatsuhashi, a familiar Kyoto souvenir.
The company also has its own food factory about 2 km south of its headquarters, where it uses expertise gained over many years of making noodle machines to produce a variety of noodles.
A manufacturing DNA passed down through generations
The headquarters grounds contain three main factories.
Assembly Factory
At the Assembly Factory, machines are assembled according to design drawings. A variety of noodle-making machines are shipped from this factory to users in Japan and overseas.
At the time of our visit, preparations were underway to assemble a large noodle-making machine for delivery to a customer.
This machine is a “mixer” for kneading noodle dough.
The company offers a lineup tailored to different needs, from small machines used for in-house noodle-making at ramen shops to large-scale models.
This machine, which looks like a pair of hair clippers, trims the ends of dried noodles.
Trimming the ends reduces the amount discarded, helping to cut food waste.
Cutting Blade Factory
The adjacent Cutting Blade Factory makes the “cutting blades,” the heart of a noodle-making machine.
Previously, manufacturing was outsourced to a specialist contractor. When the contractor went out of business, its employees and equipment were moved to the head office factory, and the department was established in 2003 as the “Cutting Blade Department.”
This factory brings together the handwork of skilled craftspeople and the latest machine tools.
Here, a CNC (computer numerical control) conventional lathe developed by a company in Okayama Prefecture is used to cut countless blades around the outer surface of a cylinder.
A CNC (computer numerical control) conventional lathe is a machine that rotates the material being worked and cuts it into a cylindrical shape by applying a cutting tool.
The factory is also working to reduce the labor required for machining by installing the latest multi-tasking machine, which can operate unmanned at night.
The cutting blades are given their final finish by hand.
Machine Shop
The machine shop, lined with various machine tools, manufactures in-house the parts used to assemble its machines.
This CNC conventional lathe was installed in 2025.
It is larger than the one used in the cutting blade factory, and is expected to automate the machining of parts such as noodle-machine rollers, which was previously done by hand by skilled craftspeople.
The “two-row Kakeba machine,” the origin of Suzuki Menko.
The improved new model has a plated exterior and makes extensive use of stainless steel and resin parts, resulting in a design that is more mindful of hygiene.
We spoke with Suzuki Yasuo, president and CEO, about Suzuki Menko’s past and future.
Suzuki Menko Co., Ltd. Information
| Organization name | Suzuki Menko Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Noodle-making machine manufacturing, noodle manufacturing |
| Representative | Suzuki Yasuo |
| Year established | 1922 |
| Address | 509-1 Honjo, Kamogata, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0865-44-2125 |
| Website | Suzuki Menko Co., Ltd. |
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