Hakuichi is headquartered in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The company is well known for manufacturing and selling Kanazawa leaf and related crafts. Many women may know the name from the oil blotting paper they use to touch up their makeup. This time, we spoke to Kuniko Asano, the founder of Hakuichi and currently the chairman of the board.
Kanazawa foil used to be a material industry
When you think of Kanazawa, you think of gold leaf. Few people today would object to that association. Traditional crafts using Kanazawa leaf have become one of the important industries in Kanazawa, which has a strong brand as a tourist destination and has further increased its value since the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015.
However, going back more than 40 years to the 1970s, Asano says, things were completely different.
“At that time, the foil industry was a materials industry and a subcontracting industry. Kanazawa foil has been used for Yamanaka lacquerware, Mikawa Buddhist altars, Nishijin textiles, etc., but it was only a black metal. By then, it was common for other brand names to be attached."
Gold leaf is made by adding a very small amount of silver or copper to gold and rolling it out with a hammer to a thin thickness of approximately 1/1 to 2 mm. In addition to gold, there are other types of leaf such as silver leaf, tin leaf, and brass leaf. It is said that gold leaf was first produced in Kanazawa at the end of the 16th century, during the time of the first lord of the Kaga domain, Toshiie Maeda, and today, 98% of the country's total production is produced there.
The birth of ``Kanazawa leaf crafts,'' a dream of ordinary housewives.
“I was born and raised in Kyoto as the daughter of a civil servant, and after graduating from high school, I worked as an office lady, and at the age of 6, I married the XNUMXth son of a foil shop in Kanazawa.They have one son and one daughter. She was just an ordinary housewife.''
The big turning point for Mr. Asano was the first oil shock in 1973. This incident, which greatly shook Japan, also cast a huge shadow on the lives of Mr. Asano and his family. The sales volume of high-end arts and crafts has declined due to the recession. Correspondingly, demand for Kanazawa foil also decreased significantly.
``I wonder if my children were older and younger in kindergarten, and at that time half of their salary was paid in kind. Even for the son of the family! I thought that this life would continue forever, and I was worried and worried... …”.
Kuniko Asano stands in front of the then Hakuichi headquarters in 1980.
At that time, Mr. Asano became concerned that the name Kanazawa Haku was not known to general consumers and that Kanazawa leaf manufacturers did not manufacture the final products. Supported by the anxiety caused by the recession, he decided that he needed to use Kanazawa foil to create products bearing the Kanazawa leaf name.
``Back then, foil shops received a lot of returns because the foil part of the Buddhist altar was discolored or the picture frame was bald.Of course, if that happened, I wouldn't be able to get any money back. There were many cases where I thought, 'Is this the reason why the product was defective?''Also, no matter how great the skill of the foil craftsman who buys the metal from the master, they pay the price themselves. It was a system that could not be determined.The key to solving these problems was manufacturing."
Mr. Asano is an amateur in foil. She is not a craftsman and cannot expect support from her husband's family. However, she travels to craft production areas that use Kanazawa foil, and learns the techniques of applying foil by watching and imitating them. The first thing she sold was a plate made of plastic with brass foil pasted on it, and it cost 5 yen for 1800 pieces. It was the moment when Ms. Asano, an ordinary housewife, brought Kanazawa leaf crafts to the world at prices that ordinary housewives could afford.
``The company was founded in 1975, which in Showa era would be January 50, 1.I remember this day well because it was the first day we attached a slip.I still have that slip in my safe. ”.
The capital for starting the business was 15 yen, which was saved from my time as an office lady. Mr. Asano named his company ``Hakuichi'' with the desire to be the first to create crafts using Kanazawa foil and to become the top in that field.
Developing products from a woman's down-to-earth perspective
Mr. Asano explored the idea of making things using Kanazawa leaf and went to department stores all over the country to sell the crafts he made. He says those were tough days.
“In Kanazawa, the Kanazawa foil crafts that I made were not accepted at first.I didn't want to worry my parents in Kyoto, who were relieved that I had gotten on board, so my first business location was Osaka, and from there I moved to Nagoya. Department stores were a completely vertically divided world, so I started selling crafts made from exotic materials such as silver and brass, but at first I went to Kenmo Hororo. The first time I was able to sell it was at the Kanazawa Products Exhibition held at Tamagawa Takashimaya in Tokyo.
"Furuyakami" was created by applying traditional techniques to modern times. It is still a long-selling product due to its good texture and high oil absorbency.
Around that time, Mr. Asano developed the first oil blotting paper in Japan using the gold leaf stamping method. This will become a big hit. When making gold leaf, a piece of paper called ``hakuuchi paper'' is sandwiched between the pieces of gold. This paper, which is needed to stretch 2g of gold to the size of one tatami mat, was used by maikos in Kyoto as ``Furuya-gami'' to prevent oil build-up after applying makeup. However, this furuya paper, which contains persimmon tannin, is not suitable for modern women's skin. Mr. Asano came up with the idea of manufacturing special oil blotting paper using the foil stamping technique.
“This includes crafts that can be used as everyday items and oil blotting paper that is gentle on the skin, but later on, I started making things that I thought were good and that I wanted, such as edible gold leaf and cosmetics. Maybe it's the nature of being a female entrepreneur."
A hit product that was created because I was a woman. On the other hand, she faced many hardships because she was a woman.
``At that time, it was rare for women to start a business, so there were a lot of things that happened.At banquets with business partners, it was cute to say things like, ``Let's have a drink!'' or ``Come pour the sake!'' There was a time when I was told, ``Get over your thighs.'' Now that I think about it, it's actually power harassment, right? Companies like "I own a big building in Tokyo" or "I sell products made by driving trucks on the Tomei Expressway" are all starting from places like me. "No way."
Create a brand and protect it without being bound by common sense
Gold leaf soft serve that became very popular by covering it with a single layer of edible gold leaf. There are a variety of edible gold leaf lines, such as letters and patterns such as Kotobuki and Shochikubai, and Alazane.
Hakuichi started out making crafts using Kanazawa foil, and has since expanded its business to include construction materials, edibles, cosmetics, foil processing, and material businesses. Over 40 years have passed since our founding, although we have experienced many ups and downs. Currently, in addition to our Kanazawa head office and Tokyo/Ginza showroom, we have nine directly managed stores, six cafes, two experience centers where you can experience foil pasting, and five factories. ” is open to the public as a tourist facility that introduces the history and techniques of Kanazawa leaf.
Mr. Asano says that Hakuichi is particular about manufacturing in its own integrated factory. This is necessary in order to maintain high levels of technical capabilities internally and take responsibility for every detail of the product.
Foil decoration inside Narita Airport International Terminal. Using techniques that utilize our hands-on skills and ability to make suggestions, we provide many architectural decorations for hotels, restaurants, transportation facilities, etc.
"We don't have any outsourced craftsmen. We employ all of our employees. We want our employees to create good products while living a stable life. If not, we will continue to improve the wonderful techniques of Kanazawa foil. Because I can't do it."
Even though she's a stranger who came to Kanazawa from Kyoto, she's an amateur, and she's a woman. Asano-san never gave up no matter how much he was criticized. She says that it was painful for her to be cut off from her husband's family, the main family of foil shops. However, Kanazawa leaf crafts, which began as a solo effort with the belief that ``if you put your mind to it, you can achieve results'', have now become an indispensable part of the local industry.
``But, you know, traditions and brands disappear in an instant.I only produced a defective product once.The story got complicated because the shop floor kept quiet about it. We lost about 1 billion yen. It was a good experience to learn crisis management firsthand."
That's why Asano says with a laugh. "Sometimes I scold my employees like this: ``Getting sales and protecting the brand are completely different things! Don't spoil Hakuichi's name with your poor work!'' (lol)."
In 2009, he handed over the president position to his son, Tatsuya, and business succession was uneventful. In 2016, he assumed the position of Vice-Chairman of the Keidanren Council. We are actively working to change Japan's economic world from the local area.
“To be honest, when I first joined the company after being recommended, I was confused as to what I could do at Keidanren, which is full of large companies. I now know that there are things I can say. I have to fulfill that role."
Mr. Asano declares that companies that cannot manufacture products will definitely perish. He says that his mission is to develop the human resources who will build the next generation of Hakuichi brand. She has achieved steady growth as a manager while leveraging her unique perspective as a woman, and her power in creating new industries and brands without being bound by conventional wisdom is extraordinary. The progress that has brought about a new wind shows no signs of slowing down.
*The contents and information contained in this article are as of the time of publication.
Kuniko Asano
Born in Kyoto. Established Hakuichi in 1975. He proposed products using Kanazawa foil, creating a new field called ``Kanazawa foil crafts.'' In 76, we became the first company in Japan to commercialize and patent oil blotting paper using the gold-leaf stamping paper manufacturing method. In 77, he established Hakuichi Co., Ltd. and became president and representative director. In 2009, he became the representative director and chairman. She has received numerous awards, including the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun's ``Female Business Manager Award,'' the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's New Business Council's ``Ladies Entrepreneur Award,'' and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's ``Manufacturing Award Excellence Award.'' In 2016, she became vice chair of the Keidanren Council.
Interview: Mio Shimamura (Premium Japan), Text: Mime Kihara, Photography: Takahiko Yamamura
Premium Japan Members invitation to
In addition to informing you of the latest information via newsletter, we also plan to inform you of exclusive events and give away special gifts.