February, 1961, Hokkaido fiberboard Co., Ltd. was established in
Kutchan. Parent company of the company was Nitto merchant ship Co.,
Ltd. of major shipping line. Takenaka Osamu acting as the president of
the two companies investigates the Niseko Weisshorn(1046m) outskirts
with engineer for resources investigation into CHISHIMAZASA in March.
Ahead of this investigation, Okawa Shusaku which was development
study engineer of fiberboard plant repeated original survey in the
Niseko An’nupuri(1308m) whole area from Niseko Weisshorn. Okawa Shusaku
is younger brother of office work director Okawa Jinkichi of NISEKO
KOGEN KANKO Co., Ltd.
Okawa Risaku which was father of Okawa brothers was famous in field
of paper manufacture technology and pulp production technology. He
presided over OKAWA research institute after the war and acted as
technology consultant of paper mill of each place. All the brothers
were the paper manufacture, engineers of pulp who worked with this
father. Okawa family was noble family of the field that produced many
talented people in Meiji, the Taisho era, Showa and Japanese paper
manufacture, pulp world. Extension of the paper manufacture technology
included development of fiberboard production technology with
CHISHIMAZASA as raw materials.
Okawa Shusaku which investigated NISEKO mountain range for
exploitation of resources of CHISHIMAZASA throughout was vested in the
mountaineering club during attendance at school in Chuo University
university graduates of old system. He was young man in his 30s who
loved mountain and ski very much. Hokkaido fiberboard company assumed
the collection ground of raw materials Niseko Weisshorn at first and
planned that we installed ropeway there. In contrast, we accuse that we
install lift in the HIRAFU side person concerned with skiing of
federation of Hokkaido ski and Kutchan aims at holding of held
all-Japan ski championship Alpen competition in March in the next year,
and to make ski course for competitions. Okawa Shusaku understood their
thought enough, too.
Shusaku affected the establishment and business development of
NISEKO KOGEN KANKO Co., Ltd. which was lift operator deeply and
investigated the mountain range whole area with own ski to every
corner. Three places of lift business plans were announced in NISEKO
mountain range from NISEKO KOGEN KANKO Co., Ltd. at the time of the
establishment by such an investigation. HIRAFU lift that the one became
the NISEKO’s first ski lift. Two more were CHISE lift, NISEKO lifts
(Japan National Railways mountain lodge course).
