2025.12.16

ZANTER JAPAN: The Creator of Japan's First Down Jacket—A Legacy of History, Quality, and Evolution

#ZANTER JAPAN

#Down Jacket

#Made in Japan

#Cold-Weather Outerwear

#Outdoor

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*The text-to-speech feature is generated by AI,
so there may be errors in the reading.

Zanter Co., the company that crafted the cold-weather gear for both the first Japanese expedition to challenge the 8,163-meter-high Manaslu in the Himalayas and the first Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, is renowned as the creator of Japan's first down jacket.

The original brand developed by Zanter Co. is ZANTER JAPAN.

We delved into the brand's roots, its world-class quality, and its current manufacturing philosophy by speaking with Naoya Hitaga from the sales department of Zanter Co., Ltd.

The Birth of Japan's First Down Jacket—A Story That Began with the Manaslu Expedition

"In 1953, the first Japanese Manaslu expedition team challenged the mountain, followed by the second team in 1954, and the third team successfully reached the summit for the first time in 1956. As it turns out, our company was the one that created the down jackets worn by all of these expeditions.

It all started back in 1947. During the post-war recovery period, the president of what would become Toyo Feather Industry Co., Ltd.—the parent company of Zanter—participated in the 'Red Feather Community Chest' drive as part of reconstruction and disaster relief efforts, supplying the raw materials for the red feathers. Around the same time, he recognized the insulating power of feathers and began supplying down futons to government agencies, which forged a key connection.