Soroban Colette Papa Helu na Toshihiko Sakai

ʻO Soroban Colette Papa Helu na Toshihiko Sakai he mea lanakila hanohano loa o ka 2025 A' Design Award Keleawe ma ka Māhele Hoʻokūkū Hoʻolālā Lako Hana Noʻeau a me Lako Palapala.

KeleaweLako Hana Noʻeau· 2025

Soroban Colette Papa Helu

na Toshihiko Sakai

Mea Kūʻai: Asahi Printing Co., Ltd.

Mea Lanakila A' Design Award Keleawe ma ka Māhele Lako Hana Noʻeau

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Mea Lanakila i Hōʻoia ʻIa

Hōʻoia i ke Kūlana Makana no #161708

Kipa i ka Pūnaewele Nānā ma A' Design Award Hoʻolaha Nūhou Hōʻailona Makana

Nā Waihoʻoluʻu

Ka Hoʻolālā

E Pili Ana iā Soroban Colette Papa Helu

I ka wā ma mua, he mau kihi huina hā ko ka papa helu, akā, ua hānau hou ʻia me kekahi hoʻolālā ʻoluʻolu aku me nā kihi poepoe i hiki ai i nā keiki ke hoʻohana me ka pihoihoi ʻole no ka hoʻoeha ʻana i kekahi mea me kēia mea hana. ʻAʻole hoʻohana ka hoʻolālā i nā wili kui, i nā kui, a i ʻole i ka mea hoʻopipiʻi, he huahana palekana ia no nā keiki ʻōpiopio. Ma o ka nui o nā waihoʻoluʻu a nā keiki e makemake ai, ua hoʻonui ʻia nā koho. Eia hou, ua hoʻemi ʻia ka helu o nā māhele ma 40 pākēneka, e hoʻomaʻalahi ana i ka hana a hoʻomaikaʻi aku i ka pono.

Ka Hoʻomaikai

E Pili Ana i ka A' Design Award Keleawe

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Soroban Colette Papa Helu i ka A' Design Award Keleawe, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kūʻokoʻa i ʻike ʻia ma o ka hana noʻeau, ka akamai a me ka makakoho. He mau hana mākaukau a hana noʻeau kupaianaha nā lanakila Keleawe e hōʻoia ana i ka ʻike nui, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka maʻalea o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Soroban Colette Papa Helu he mea i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia, he ʻoihana a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Keleawe e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana, a maikaʻi no kona nānā ʻana i nā kikoʻī. Hoʻokō maikaʻi ka hoʻolālā Soroban Colette Papa Helu i nā pono, hoʻopā i ka makemake, hoʻohiwahiwa i nā manaʻo a huki i ka makemake e ʻike.

Ma Hope o ka Hoʻolālā

ʻEke Nūhou

Nā hōʻoia, nā lālā hui a me nā kikoʻī ʻenehana i hāʻawi ʻia e ka mea hoʻolālā.

Nā ʻAno Kūʻokoʻa: Previously, the abacus had square corners, but it has been reborn to gentler design having rounded corners so that children can use it without worrying about damaging something with the item. The design does not use screws, nails, or adhesive, making it a highly safe product for younger children. By having a variety of colors that children like, the options have expanded. Additionally, the number of parts has been reduced by 40%, making manufacturing simpler and more efficient.
Nā Ana a me ka Hoʻopili: "Traditional abacuses were mostly 23 digits, but this product has 20 digits, making it ideal for beginners. As a result, it is now A4-sized and can be stored neatly in a school bag.

The main body is made of resin, which is stably supplied, and the weight as well as the size are similar to those of conventional products.

Number of digits: 20
Material: main body from recycled polycarbonate, beads from polystyrene
Package: paper box with a cover case
Weight: 158g
Length 60mm x width 283mm x height 17mm"
Nā Lepili: pop, colette, eco, 20 digit, colorful
ʻEnehana Hana: Traditionally, abacuses were made from hard, heavy wood such as boxwood, which are endangered species and hard to obtain. Over 60% of the product weight is of upcycled materials. By integrally molding the beam and shaft parts like a fishbone, we succeeded in reducing the number of parts by more than 30% compared to conventional products. With all the efforts combined, we have established manufacturing that does not rely too much on individual craftmen.
Pilikia Hoʻolālā: A modern arrangement has been added without disrupting the traditional use of the abacus. Additionally, since it will be used by children, we aimed for a safe design with no angular corners and no screws or nails. The most time-consuming task was to come up with a frame structure that integrated the beam and shaft in order to reduce man-hours. In terms of materials, from a sustainability perspective, we had to maintain enough strength while using recycled resin, which was a challenge.
Noiʻi: The traditional manufacturing of abacuses is a cottage industry, involving nearly 200 steps, each of which is highly specialized, requiring a large number of workers to manufacture one abacus.

Due to the decrease in successors, the production volume has dropped to about 150,000 per year, about one-twentieth from the peak of 3 million abacuses, making it difficult for abacus schools to secure the necessary quantities.

In addition, the raw material ebony is dependent on imports, and domestic boxwood is rated as endangered on the Fukuoka Prefecture Red List, making it depleted and in need of protection.
Hoʻoulu Manaʻo: The abacus was introduced to Japan as calculator 450 years ago, and is popular even today as a traditional skill learning and brain training for children. However, as the design variations are limited because it is made of wood and traditional manufacturing process, children are currently unable to choose one that suits their preference. Manufacturing sites are facing problems such as aging of craftsmen, lack of successors, and less materials, and this shows the possibility that traditional abacus education will be reduced due to the shortage of abacuses, “sorobans” in Japanese. It is also required that newly developed products are eco-friendly.
Ka Lōʻihi o ka Papahana: The project was started in January, 2021, and was completed in April, 2024, It took 3 years for us to reserch and realize an ideal product.
Kaʻina Hana: An abacus is designed to make it easy to understand the decimal system, with each column representing one digit. The thing that runs horizontally and divides the bead into one and four parts is called a beam. The beads at the top of it are called 5-beads, and correspond to five beads at the bottom. Use your thumb to move a 1-bead, and your index finger to move the rest. With this small abacus, users can add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Nā Palapala Kuleana: Patent applied
Patent application 2023-176919
Nā Lālā Hui: Toshihiko Sakai
Nā Kuleana Kiʻi: N/A