Starting this time, a Japanese executive interview by Premium Japan representative Mio Shimamura. We will invite executives from companies with unique brand stories to unravel the essence of the ``Japanese sensibilities'' and ``Japanese aesthetics'' expressed by their brands through the products and services they produce, as well as their corporate philosophy. For the first part of the series, we spoke with Yasushi Nakata, president of Chiso, a long-established Kyoto Yuzen shop that has been in business for 1 years this year.

The history of long-established stores is built on the accumulation of innovation.

Founded in 1555, dating back to the Muromachi period. Among the many long-established shops that remain in Kyoto, the one that boasts one of the best traditions is Kyoto Yuzen ``Chiso''. When you hear of a long-established store, you probably think that its mission is to continue preserving its tradition. “I thought the same thing before joining the company.A long-established company is one that continues to do the same thing over and over again.”

President Yasushi Nakata, who wears kimono elegantly and speaks this way, originally started an advertising company in Tokyo. He joined Chiso in 1997 after gaining experience in a world completely different from the Japanese fashion industry.

``After joining the company, I thoroughly read the company's 450-year history.In every era, each head of the company took on various challenges, doing something that was quite innovative at the time.Innovation. I was surprised to see that history was created through the accumulation of these efforts.However, as times and environmental conditions change, it is natural that the companies that do business there will have to change as well.If they don't, they won't last this long. I realized this when I came to Kyoto and met and talked with many people.In Tokyo, I have the impression that the economy changes as the number of participants changes, but in the case of Kyoto, There are many family businesses that are rooted in the land, so if the environment in Kyoto changes, we will inevitably need to take advantage of those changes and change ourselves."

This way of thinking is also reflected in Chiso's current efforts. For example, he has collaborated with Montblanc and Globetrotter, created scarves, and from this year will also be releasing jewelry and bags. You can see that they are always taking on challenges that go beyond the boundaries of long-established stores.

"Even the 15th generation, the current head and chairman, thinks that it's normal for things to change.On the other hand, when I propose something like this next time, they even say, ``If that's the case, then our predecessors would have done it in the Meiji era.'' That makes me feel like I can take on the challenge with all my might. I'm grateful that we have a long history of continuing to take on challenges for the past 465 years."

A new era born of irresistible adversity

There were two major turning points in the history of innovation.

“One of them is that we have changed the type of business we operate.Actually, when we started our business, we were a robe dealer.In the Edo period, we received the title of costumer, and we received orders from temples, shrines, and court nobles, and delivered the costumes. "

The Meiji Restoration was the trigger for the industry to change from being a robe merchant to a Yuzen dyer. With the transfer of the capital to Tokyo, many court nobles moved to Tokyo, and temples also declined due to the Haibutsu-kishaku movement, and the market that existed up until then disappeared.

Therefore, the 12th generation Sozaemon Nishimura started working on Yuzen dyeing, which was in a rut in design at the time, but this also presented a unique challenge. In his twelfth generation, his hobby was drawing, and he commissioned a Japanese painter to draw designs that would normally be drawn by a craftsman. He created many dyed and woven products with superb Yuzen and embroidery techniques, and his innovative experiments received high acclaim for his beautiful designs, which were like paintings never seen before, and received rave reviews at world expositions and other events. Another major step forward was the early introduction of chemical dyes, which had just begun to be imported.

``Until the Edo period, silk kimonos could only be made one by one, but now it is possible to dye them using chemical dyes, making mass production possible.As a result, costs have come down, and silk kimonos have become available to many people. At the same time as the class system was abolished, the name ``Yuzen no Chiso'' spread.''

Another turning point was the outbreak of World War II. Since the Meiji era, many of these products were exported overseas due to their beautiful designs, but the war naturally made trade impossible. Adding insult to injury was the ban on the manufacture and sale of luxury goods.

``For example, if there is a tax increase, you might want to try your best to come up with some ideas, but you won't be able to sell or make anything.The company needs to survive, but the company was founded by So Nishimura, who was concerned that the craftsmen's skills that had been cultivated would be lost. It was a dyeing laboratory.If we were unable to manufacture and sell it, we asked craftsmen to continue making it as a way to pass on the Yuzen technique.And because of this, we were able to resume business quickly after the war.

Currently, the Chiso Bunka Research Institute, which was established in 2017 to academically research dyeing techniques and historical materials, continues this approach.

The answer to unimaginable times lies in the past

Now, we are in an unprecedented time where everyone, including business owners, is feeling a sense of crisis and anxiety. However, Mr. Nakata says that there are hints from the past for overcoming this.

``I became president in the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake.When I saw the state of Tohoku firsthand and thought that reconstruction was the first priority, business was still extremely difficult.I saw sales from Kanto to Hokkaido as almost zero, I made a plan. I honestly wondered if we would be able to go back to sunny days where we needed kimonos in such a self-restraint mood."However, in reality, sales in the Tohoku region were not as expected. It is said that he returned earlier than that.

``At that time, I often heard that people's photos of their memories were washed away by the disaster, but I think that they wanted to preserve their family ties and cherish the milestones. Kimono seems to fit this desire to connect families.It made me realize that the good or bad economy is not the only factor in purchasing."

That's exactly why when you're careful about buying things, it's the kimono that you choose after careful consideration. This made her realize that she should never stop making kimonos, no matter what.

“It may not be possible to talk about the current coronavirus pandemic in the same way, but I would like to use this experience as a hint to communicate with our customers.”

Kimono is the traditional beauty of Japan and also expresses individuality.

Until now, we have mainly sold at department stores, etc., but this August we opened our first flagship store, Chiso Main Store, in Karasuma Sanjo, Kyoto. In a sophisticated space designed by up-and-coming architect Tsuyoshi Tane, we will directly deliver the worldview of beauty that Chiso has cultivated to our customers.

``Originally, kimonos were basically made to order, so for example, in the Edo period, wearing a kimono with a pattern based on a passage from ``The Tales of Ise'' was meant to convey that you liked that literature. , each piece of kimono expresses the wearer's education and interests, as well as the meaning behind the kimono and the time of wearing it. I would like to make sure that people are interested in the beauty as well.”

Chiso's management philosophy is ``Beauty/Hitosuji.'' What does Mr. Nakata think of as ``Japanese aesthetic sense''?

"During its 460-year history, there are many valuable materials that have survived various hardships. Why are these materials left behind? I think it's important to think about that. If not, it would have been thrown away.I believe that the reason why it has been preserved is that it is an essential part of the history of Japanese beauty, and that it has an authenticity that should be preserved. Although there are many new designs, Chiso's kimono has always continued to learn about traditional Japanese beauty, and has continued to express the traditional beauty that has been passed down through generations. I hope to communicate this as a sense of beauty.”

“Challenge” is an inevitable part of Chiso's history. Chiso's kimono expresses authentic beauty, where past innovations become further fuel for future innovations. I would like you to experience the beauty that goes beyond tradition.

Yasushi Nakata

Joined Chiso in 1997 and became president in 2011. While emphasizing the characteristics of a traditional company, we apply Yuzen techniques to Western clothing, plan product designs, and continue to innovate in line with the times by combining the inheritance of authentic Japanese culture with modern values. ing.

Mio Shimamura

Representative and publisher of Premium Japan. After working at a foreign advertising agency, he held positions in charge of marketing and PR at top brands such as Walt Disney, Harry Winston, and Tiffany & Co. In 2013, he founded Russo Co., Ltd. He handles PR for various top brands. Because his parents' home was an environment that taught Japanese culture such as tea ceremony and kimono dressing, he acquired the business rights to Premium Japan in 2017 and established Premium Japan Co., Ltd. in 2018. Appointed to current position in 2019 due to business alliance with Amana Co., Ltd.