Introduction of artisans: Menu ----------------------------- Introduction ----------------------------- Introduction "Clothing" Kyo yuzen silk dyeing / Masahiro Ikeuchi Nishijin textile / Takahisa Tamura Kyo yuzen silk dyeing / Ryotaro Hika Kyo Yuzen silk dyeing / Tomoko Fujii Flower arrangement / Michihisa Watanabe ----------------------------- Introduction "Eating and Drinking" Japanese dishes / Takeshi Shinmura Rice / Takashi Hashimoto Sake / Yoshihiro Higashino ----------------------------- Introduction "Living" Synthetic resin / Shigemi Inari Kiyomizu-ware / Hirokazu Kato Woodblock printing / Yuko Harada Jidaigire / Taro Matsumura Folding fans / Takahito Mizukami

I believe that we can maintain traditions only through constant efforts to modify them. While inheriting the 500-year tradition of Nishijin textile, I also hope to pioneer new textile production.

To produce Nishijin textile obi (broad sash for kimono), at our firm we first decide a motif and composition for each item. Based on the design, we select colors, referring to color samples, and place an order for dyeing yarns in specified colors. Next, we reel the dyed yarns with a reeling machine. Concurrently with the reeling process, which is essential for weaving, we order the punching of cards for a Jacquard loom in accordance with the design. Using these cards, we weave Nishijin textile cloth for the obi. Liner is then attached to the finished cloth to produce the obi. After removing stains and inspecting the finished obi, we market the product.
To weave cloth for obi, we use a shuttle-type Jacquard loom, an essential machine for Nishijin textile, which features the most delicate motifs in the world.

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When I was 28 years old, my father asked me to succeed to the family business. At that time, I was a company employee, and was enjoying working for that company. So it was not an easy decision to give up my career at that company. Although I had been well aware of my father's expectations, it took me two years to make the difficult decision. I finally decided to enter my present profession because I was the only candidate for succeeding to my father's business. Immediately upon entering the business, however, I was unable to enjoy doing it and I lost much weight due to stress. I have since regained my weight, though.

I am committed to producing items that truly satisfy our customers, adhering to my resolve to constantly strive to achieve something new. When I entered this business, we supplied our products to wholesalers that paid us only after product delivery. Sensing a risk of price collapse and delay in payment, which could eventually have caused bankruptcy of our business, I stopped supplying our items to those wholesalers. (In retrospect, I admit that I was too young at the time to know traditional ways of our business.) Although I was severely criticized for this behavior, I was too busy to worry about such criticism. To seek new sales channels, I began participating in exhibitions and developed new distribution routes, including some wholesalers in Muromachi, Kyoto.

My father's house, in Nishijin, Kyoto, had a weaving workshop on the first floor. He had several live-in weavers, in addition to those who commuted to the workshop. Having grown up in this environment, when I assumed the family business I knew the manufacturing processes well.

My father is probably the only master that I have, since I never learned the present business from anyone else. I learned from my father that we must change our business methods in response to social changes. My father, who is 70 years old now, cannot use a PC, yet he advises me to retain important documents in the form of data, rather than hard copies. He is a man of such flexible approaches to his business.

I was particularly happy when a young customer bought my product after saving money for one year. Although our products are not affordable for most young people, after viewing my work at an exhibition, that customer saved money for one year, and bought the work a year later. An encounter with such a customer convinces me that all the efforts I make are rewarding. I will continue to work hard, so as to experience encounters with more such customers.

I hope to develop our firm into a global textile manufacturer. In the Nishijin textile industry, I believe that we should develop logistic systems to market high-quality items at reasonable prices. I also hope to expand our business overseas. The easiest way to do this is to produce textile for Western clothing. Accordingly, I am planning to develop functional cloth for Western clothing and upholstery.

Handloom