Our Philosophy
This is where KEYSTONE egi begin — traditional yet innovative.
A craftsman's beginning
KEYSTONE was founded on November 1, 1999, as a manufacturer of egi (squid jigs) (squid jigs) and sutte. Our founder, the late Genzo Kanagawa (passed away January 2020), was a self-made craftsman of the Showa era who quietly supported the very foundations of modern eging from the manufacturing floor. He carved, by his own hand, the original forms of what became the MonroEgi and the Haifukugata from solid blocks of wood. Seeking to surpass the classic "Oita-type," he then hand-carved EgiSharp — and the body that evolved directly from it became Daybreak, released in October 2023.
100% In-House Manufacturing, Made in Japan
For 25 years, in Arita — a town famous for over 400 years of porcelain — KEYSTONE has held to two principles: in-house manufacturing and "made in Japan (Arita)." From product design to molds, jigs, catalogs and even this website, we build as much as we can with our own hands. Our founder's deep expertise spanned mechanical and electronic engineering, control systems, coating, sculpture, materials physics, 3D CAD/CAM and mold machining — and his work in egi making earned national recognition. In 2018, our staff member Morihisa Tashiro (now Head of Development) received a Japanese Minister of Education award for scientific ingenuity in egi manufacturing.
Tools for anglers — and for professional fishermen
Many imagine squid are caught by automated jigging machines. In reality, swordtip squid (Kensaki squid) and bigfin reef squid are landed one by one, by hand, by the fishermen themselves — using the very same egi and sutte that everyday anglers use. That is why KEYSTONE develops in close partnership with top professional fishermen, treating our products as serious fishing gear. It is the joy of the sport, too: reading the situation, changing color and size, and outwitting nature on the open sea.
Jigs that respond exactly as intended
Like top athletes who sense their own bodies down to the fingertips, legendary squid fishermen demand jigs they can control "exactly as imagined" — even at extreme depths of up to 200 meters under heavy currents. KEYSTONE researches, develops and manufactures egi and sutte that move as intended across every situation.
"with SQUID." — a way of life
Technology and innovation alone may not make people happy. So why not spend unhurried time on the sea, squid fishing, in touch with nature — feeling the life of squid and fish with your own hands, and receiving that life with gratitude? Under the keyword "with SQUID." KEYSTONE hopes to offer a new way of life through squid fishing.
REVOLT® — releasing products while they are still in development
Everything on this site is made in Arita: KEYSTONE runs every step, from development through mass production to sales, in one town in Saga. With limited resources, developing a new product costs a great deal of time and money, and for our first 24 years that was the hardest constraint — we had ideas, but releasing them in good time was another matter.
So we borrowed a method from software development, where progress is made through iteration: prototype, alpha, beta, release candidate, general release. Under the REVOLT® brand we sell products at alpha and beta stage, in very small lots, through our direct shop. Development-stage products are difficult to mass produce, so the quantities are tiny — but the feedback comes straight back to us, and recovering part of the development cost is what lets the next iteration happen.
Because these are development-stage runs, a REVOLT item that is sold out or no longer listed has not been discontinued. It is simply between iterations. The JetChaser size 3.1, for example, was shown as a REVOLT prototype in 2024 and sold in an event-limited colour in 2025, well before its general release.
This is a condensed English version of our philosophy page. The full Japanese story, including our founder's history and each development milestone, is on the Japanese page, and the way we make things today — including REVOLT® — is set out on this Japanese page.
