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Hatsuko Endo President Akira Endo Interview

Endo Hatsuko, the first generation, opened a barbershop in what is now Ginza 38-chome in XNUMX and advocated ``facial techniques,'' the first facial treatment in Japan. She heard stories about skin care practices practiced in Europe and America from her husband, who had gone overseas, and in Yokohama, which had a foreign settlement at the time, she learned about Western aesthetic techniques (hygienic facial culture) and developed what is now known as ``aesthetics.'' Apparently, she founded a general beauty salon in Ginza that offers hair, makeup, and dressing services.

- I think it was rare for women to work at the time, but what kind of women did you hear about in the first generation?

It seems that she was a pioneering professional woman. Despite her profession as a hairdresser, she seemed to have the courage to enter through the front door instead of the back door. The first generation had students from a variety of backgrounds, from children of good families who graduated from universities and girls' schools to wives of fallen samurai families, and the first generation, who understood that women should become independent, actively pursued I heard that they were welcomed.

- Also, it is unusual for a name to be passed down hereditary like in Kabuki, but is there a reason for it?

Since it was a woman's job, the wife of the eldest son of the first generation inherited it from the second generation. Since the second generation passed away early, the third generation was Kyoko Miura, who was chosen from among her first generation disciples. Kyoko Miura's husband was a banker, and her husband's father became the 13th governor of Tokyo and even became an advisor to the Imperial Court. She was originally a customer of her first generation, but after her husband passed away, she chose the path of independence and became a disciple of her first generation, and her talent was recognized and she became Hatsuko Endo. He inherited the name. Her third generation daughter married her second generation's eldest son and became my mother, who inherited her fourth generation name.

- How did you come to be in charge of preparing Michiko for the marriage of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress in 34?

We learned that Ms. Kiyomiya (currently Takako Shimazu) used our store in Nihonbashi, that we prepared for her wedding with Mr. Shimazu, and that Michiko's mother (Fumiko Shoda) used our store in Ginza. I think it all started when I was preparing for a customer's wedding. The third generation, and my mother's fourth generation, who had recently taken over the family name, worked hard to prepare Michiko for her wedding. I still consider it a great honor.

- I heard that the fourth generation was a very nice person, but what fond memories do you have?
 
It seems that my mother often received personal consultations from customers, but she never told anyone about it, including her family. I believe that this kind of personality is also the reason why customers trust him. He was also a very kind and generous person. Her father was a very artistic and nervous person, but the two of them got along very well and I think she was the best wife for her father. She was a very bright and ideal mother. Also, this may seem surprising, but my mother was the one who took me to the bank for the first time. Her mother taught her everything about running a business.

- I heard that you have deep connections with the Kabuki world.
 
We have been working with the people of Rion since our founding, and have provided wedding preparations for many Kabuki actors. We have a long-term relationship that spans two and three generations of parents and children.

- Please tell us about Hatsuko Endo's kimono collection.
We also have quite a collection of kimono wedding costumes, many of which were designed by my father and mother after the war after researching classic Japanese works. We want you to wear an authentic bridal costume for your important wedding ceremony, so we have selected top-notch makers from Kyoto, such as Tatsumura Orimono, Kawashima Orimono, and Kihachi Tabata, who are worthy of carrying on traditional Japanese performing arts. I was creating it together with you. My father always said that old classic patterns were wonderful. The issue is how to use these in the future.

- Please tell us about your future challenges and goals.

Currently, customer needs are becoming more diverse, but beauty salons are currently facing a shortage of manpower. It's annoying that most of our customers come to our store on weekends. It is also difficult that the Labor Standards Act is the same for both office workers and service workers. I think it is necessary to consider hiring foreigners, but I think the problem is that the industry is old-fashioned and there is no opportunity to consider this issue as a whole.

Personally, I would like to maintain what I have cultivated so far, but from now on I would like to make moves that can solve these issues in the beauty industry. Currently, 9% of Hatsuko Endo's employees are women. Many people continue working even after getting married or having children, so it is truly a women's company. We would like to support such employees, but a system that reduces working hours is not suitable for the service industry. In extreme terms, it would be OK if you only worked on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but if that were the case, the daycare center wouldn't take care of your child, and even if the company wanted to take care of your child, it would be unrealistic to bring your child to Ginza. I believe that we need to resolve these systemic issues. It's an industry-wide effort, but the union is weak, so I want to do something about it before I die (lol)