Baseball Bat Production in Full Swing Ahead of New Season in Toyama Prefecture’s ‘Town of Bats’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:53 JST, March 25, 2024 

TOYAMA — Baseball bat manufacturers in the Fukumitsu district in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture, are in their busiest time of year ahead of the opening of the new professional baseball season.

The district, known as the town of baseball bats, has a thriving woodworking industry as humidity is at a suitable level for woodcraft throughout the year. The district is one of the most prominent production areas for baseball bats in the country.

At Lonwood Co., a major manufacturer that has made bats for such popular players as the Hanshin Tigers’ Takumu Nakano and former star Koji Yamamoto of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, manufactures about 300 bats every day at this time of year. The company’s nine employees divide manufacturing procedures among themselves, such as carving maple wood imported from North America or coating the bats.

“I hope that the players do a great job using the bats we’ve made with such care,” said the head of the factory.