Interview
Could you tell us about the history of Kurashiki Isho Keikakushitsu and Kurashiki Isho Atiburanti?
Tanabe (honorific omitted)
We started out in 1981 as a silk-screen printing factory.
At the time, we took OEM orders from other companies (manufacturing products under another company’s brand) and printed T-shirts, among other things.
A few years later, we began wholesaling our own original fabric goods.
It was the height of the general-goods boom, and what was expected of us was to chase after bestsellers.
Let’s say we unveiled a product at an international trade show and expanded the series because it got a good response.
By the time we presented it at a trade show six months later, lots of cheap imitations made in places like China were already on the market.
That’s just how things are, but I thought, “I want to do something different.”
What to make and how to sell it.
I thought we should be able to stop doing things we didn’t like in those two areas.
We made sure to include detailed information about how our products were made in our catalogs.
When people understand the background, the products are completely different from imitations.
The idea is to have people connect with the meaning and discover our products.
Our image began to take its current shape about 20 years ago (in the 2000s).
For a while, we only planned products and sold them wholesale.
Naturally, each store carried only a small selection.
There was nowhere to see our full range, so no one knew the whole picture of “what Kurashiki Isho Keikakushitsu makes.”
We were asked many times to open a shop in places like department stores near train stations, not just in Okayama, but none of the opportunities interested us.
About 10 years ago (around 2010), when Hayashi Genjuro Shoten approached us, I asked why and with what vision they were creating the facility. I thought I’d go and take a look first.
When I saw the building, I thought it was wonderful. I felt this was the place.
At the time, most of our customers were from urban areas, and hardly anyone in Kurashiki knew our name.
I also thought, “If we miss this opportunity, we may never have a connection with our hometown,” so we decided to open a shop at Hayashi Genjuro Shoten.
This year (2021) marks our 10th year.
What criteria do you use when planning products?
Tanabe
Things I like.
Even if I like something, I avoid it if it’s already widely available on the market.
We work with small factories and artists to make our products, and make sure to tell people where and by whom they were made.
How many people work at Kurashiki Isho Keikakushitsu?
Tanabe
There are seven people at the company and five at the shop.
That’s a small team.
Tanabe
If we grow too large, we have to increase the volume we sell.
That means we’d have to prioritize making things that appeal to the market.
That’s not what we want, so “I don’t think we should grow too big.”
Could you tell us about some of your products?
Tanabe
Noda Enamel’s lunch boxes have been around for quite a while, but they’re still popular.
Enamel is a material made by firing a glassy glaze onto the surface of metal.
There are still several companies in Japan that make large enamel products, such as bathtubs and kitchen systems.
However, there may be only a few companies left, including Noda Enamel, that make small enamel products like household goods.
You could say they’re on the verge of disappearing in Japan.
Most enamel products like pots that you see in general-goods stores are made in China or Southeast Asia.
Enamel has lots of advantages, but it can break if you drop it, and it can rust.
It can’t beat stainless steel for convenience.
But some people love the look and feel of enamel.
It’s not just about function.
We make things for people who love them.
Many manufacturing techniques are becoming difficult to pass on, partly because craftspeople are aging.
We want these manufacturers to stay in business.
There may be very little we can do.
Still, if we make products that people who love them want to buy, and they sell...
Are there products you can no longer make?
Tanabe
The aluminum desk lamp is one example.
It’s made using a technique called metal spinning. Both the shade and the base are shaped one by one on a lathe, entirely by hand.
Similar desk lamps are also sold by nationwide lifestyle-goods chains.
They’re made in Southeast Asia using a stamping process and are inexpensive, at around ¥7,000 each.
Stamping keeps the unit cost low, but the mold costs about ¥1 million, so it only makes sense for products that can be sold in large quantities.
Metalworking techniques have been refined by meeting small-scale needs, such as making just five pieces for a particular person.
These techniques grew out of custom work.
If the shape is the same, a spun piece and a stamped one probably look almost identical.
And our desk lamp costs ¥16,500 including tax. In terms of value for money, ours may be the worse deal.
But a product’s appeal isn’t just about whether it’s a good deal.
People who like this product pay for the story behind it, which you can’t see just by looking at it—things like “the joy of using this product”.
Kurashiki Isho also makes a lot of paper goods, but paper manufacturers are consolidating and closing down, too.
For example, let’s say a manufacturer that makes 100 types of paper merges with another manufacturer that also makes 100 types.
Then the new company might discontinue 50 types.
That can’t be helped, but the papers we like are usually among the 50 that get discontinued.
If there are people who want that paper and buy it, it might not disappear.
The number of pottery kilns is also steadily declining.
It’s hard work, and many people say they can’t ask their children to take over.
Mass production in large factories isn’t a bad thing.
For example, by making clothes in large quantities and selling them around the world, a fast-fashion brand has made it possible to buy high-quality, highly functional clothing at low prices—far better than what was available just a few decades ago.
That’s remarkable.
But if everything becomes mass-produced, the world becomes uniform.
We like things with character and things that are interesting.
We make things for people who like the same kinds of things.
Find your favorites at Kurashiki Isho Atiburanti
Listening to you, I can really feel your respect for the makers and your love of everyday life.
That’s why I think so many people relate to what Tanabe considers “good,” and why you’ve gained so many fans.
You can use household goods without giving them much thought.
But imagine going through each day thinking, “I love this item because of this particular thing about it.”
Wiping your hands, serving food—if even these everyday actions came with the feeling, “I love using this item”...
Wouldn’t each day become a little richer, bit by bit, in a way you can truly feel?
Find goods that bring color to your everyday life.
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