JAPAN BRAND

What is JAPAN BRAND?

JAPAN BRAND takes the incredible wealth of traditional techniques and materials in each area of Japan, and establishes them into new brands for our contemporary lives, across the entire world market. A multitude of regional small and medium enterprises, craftspeople, designers, and specialists are participating in JAPAN BRAND in tandem with the Japanese Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Central Federation of Societies of Commerce and Industry. PingMag MAKE and Casa BRUTUS are operating in collaboration with JAPAN BRAND as an official media platform for introducing regional projects.

A Word from a Regional Project Participant

Eiji Misawa
Yamagata JAPAN BRAND Executive Committee Bureau

Originally, we had established something called the Carrozzeria Project in 2003 which was a collaboration between Ken Okuyama and local Yamagata companies, and from there we got involved in the Japan Brand project. We at the chamber of commerce have always maintained a position of “not getting in the way.” Mr. Okuyama acted as a conceptual leader and took command. We tried to stay in the sidelines, out of the way, giving our support in an unobtrusive way. Through this project, we have had very little of what you could call hardship, and in fact we have learned a lot. It has been really impressive to see the local craftspeople giving their utmost in response to Mr. Okuyama’s demands. Thanks to that, I think the craftspeople at the participating companies have reached a new level in their respective fields. As a result of everyone’s efforts, we participated in the France’s international interiors trade fair, the Maison et Objet (2006 to 2008) and Italy’s Milano Salone Internazionale del Mobile (April 2008). In addition, Yamagata Kobo was founded in February 2007 to give sales support, and the Carrozzeria Foundation was established as a business model in September of 2007. But the best proof of our success has been the eighty-plus product variations that have been produced thanks to the venture, and the numerous hit products that have emerged. We plan to continue using Yamagata’s superior local resources and talented craftspeople, from product development to production and sales; world-class products united under the Yamagata name.

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Rugs Woven by Women’s Hands : Oriental Carpet

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Iron and Tea：Kikuchi Hojudo

Akira Ohta
Vice Chairman,Kamo Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kiri tansu, with 220 years of history, had a solid place in Japan’s tatami-based culture. But Japanese people’s lifestyles have changed from eastern to western, and for reasons such as, “new homes don’t have tatami-floored rooms,” “there’s no space to keep a kiri tansu,” and “no one wears kimono anymore,” the opportunities for people to use a kiri tansu have been dropping. There are currently approximately forty kiri tansu manufacturers in Kamo, but they are clearly scaling back operations. The craftspeople are aging, and at this rate, the skills will die out with the craftspeople.
This is the situation we were in when the JAPAN Brand project suggested that we make some kiri tansu that are appropriate for spaces with wood or carpeted floors and we asked designer Eiri Iwakura to make some new designs for us. The result was chests with legs made to suit western-style rooms, and pieces which look good in smaller apartment spaces. This was done while preserving traditional techniques and materials, and we even use our old buffing powder for the same finish we’ve always done.
Currently, there are four kiri tansu companies, one folding screen company, and two joinery companies for a total of seven companies who are cooperating to promote KAMO as a single brand under the JAPAN Brand project. Naturally it takes many years to develop a brand and it’s not a simple thing, we know that perfectly well. However, we have all thought together about “what is a brand” and progressed forward trying different things and making mistakes, and finally our ways of thinking are beginning to come together. We are hoping to incorporate as a business eventually.
Naturally being able to sell our products is an important part of this project, but even more important is that we are able to stimulate the craftspeople who have been making the original traditional furniture for so long. After continuing to work at this project for four years, the production region on the whole has begun to lean towards having a go at making western-style goods, and that makes me really happy.

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Preserving the Essence of the Kiri Tansu : Ogura Tansu Ten

Hidenori Yuzawa
Chairman, Iida Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Iida Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been participating in a JAPAN BRAND program called Iida Musubi since 2004. Now in our fourth year, 2008, we are no longer receiving financial support from the government but are continuing the program with our own funds. We’ve participated in exhibitions overseas in places such as Los Angeles and Paris, and held a variety of workshops and exhibitions within Japan, working hard to tell as many people as possible about the tradition and culture of mizuhiki. In our first year, about twenty mizuhiki companies in Iida participated in the program. Originally, we were supposed to finish the program in just one year and we were expected to produce results. We were so busy making prototypes and going overseas that it was hard to find the time to relax and really reflect on things. We had a lot of trouble trying to decide how to present and explain our product when preparing for our overseas debut; we were lost at whether to make Japanese-style mizuhiki or try to create a Western-style product. But we were finally able to grasp it once we went and saw for ourselves how mizuhiki is perceived overseas. That was when we got serious about expanding overseas, and five companies which were particularly engaged in the project came together and decided to continue the program. Kikuyu’s President Yoshinobu Watanabe is one person who thinks of his business not just as a small family business but as one part of Iida’s mizuhiki industry. He is thinking about our future and struggling to promote the mizuhiki tradition. When we participated in an exhibition in Paris, a French designer told us, “Mizuhiki is lovely, but you need to have to put more effort into getting the message out about your product.” That gave us a lot to think about and provided us with direction. However, even though we knew how important it was to promote ourselves right, we just couldn’t seem to find a way to do it. I think it was really lucky that we were able to meet a designer with an interest in traditional arts like Masafumi Arita at that time. What’s coming next? We’re going to continue collaborating with designers like Mr. Arita and developing our business.

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Tying the Knot: Kikuyu

PingMag MAKE is the sister site to PingMag. We use an interview format to put the spotlight on a wide range of people active in rural areas. We document the voices of these unknown heroes and broadcast them to the world. It’s the Japan-based magazine about people and making things, coming out once a week. We’re passing on the passion, ideas, skills, and life stories of people who are building today and exploring tomorrow: craftsmen, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. Stay tuned!