Series: "Thoughts Passed Down"
Episode 1 – Portrait of Founder Takamasa Komiya –
Episode 2 – Meeting with the second-generation president, Takeshi Komiya –
Episode 3 – In a rapidly changing market, "Komiya Shoten's Western-style umbrellas" take shape -
"Good morning!" a loud, lively voice echoes throughout the office.
The person who greeted us most cheerfully was Kensuke Ishii, who turns 78 this year.
Ishii, both a craftsman and a staff member, has been with Komiya Shoten for more than half his life.
Even now, he continues to support Komiya Shoten by instructing our staff and craftsmen and by attaching handles.
We asked Ishii about Komiya Shoten's history and its founder, Komiya Hosho.
In this column, we will be sharing some of the events and thoughts that only Ishii, who has overcome many obstacles to get to where he is today, can talk about.
Takamasa Komiya began making umbrellas using yarn-dyed fabrics from his hometown of Yamanashi.
The history of Komiya Shoten began in 1919 (Taisho 8) when the founder, Komiya Takamasa, moved to Tokyo from Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and began training at Suzuki Takanori Shoten.
After 11 years of training, Takamasa left the store on good terms and became independent. In 1930, he opened Komiya Takamasa Shoten, an umbrella manufacturing and wholesale business in Nihonbashi Hamacho, and began producing umbrellas using Koshuori, a yarn-dyed fabric from his hometown of Yamanashi. This is the roots of our company, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2020.
But why did he decide to make umbrellas? There were two reasons. First, a relative ran an umbrella shop in his hometown of Yamanashi, so he had some knowledge about umbrella manufacturing. Second, at a time when the distribution economy was not fully developed and it wasn't always possible to buy things even if you had money, his connections with textile businesses in Yamanashi were a great advantage. Making use of these strengths, he worked hard.
However, when World War II broke out, wartime regulations meant that the company was no longer able to produce as it wanted. Furthermore, the company faced extraordinary difficulties, such as its store being burned down in an air raid. Takamasa somehow managed to escape the flames of war, and after the war ended, he moved his store to Tachibana-cho, Nihonbashi (now Higashi-Nihonbashi). Committed to running a steady business, he continued to manufacture and wholesale Western-style umbrellas and shawls, and in 1951 established "Komiya Shoten Limited Company." 
Takamasa's wife, Tane. The interior of the store at that time.
I worked with Takamasa for five or six years, and he was a calm, collected man, with the flexibility to actively accept other people's opinions. On the other hand, he had a strong core, and was stubborn and would stick to his beliefs when he decided on something. He was also a very fashionable man. He would wear stylish hats and frequent coffee shops, which were unfamiliar to ordinary people at the time. I often saw him playing shogi, his hobby, with an umbrella maker from Yokohama on the second floor of his shop in Higashi-Nihonbashi.
There is one quote that made a lasting impression on me. "A kite rises high into the wind, and if you don't constantly tug and loosen the kite string, the kite will fall." A kite won't fly if you keep pulling it or keep loosening it. A kite can only fly high in the sky by sometimes pulling it and sometimes letting it go. The same is true for management. Having survived the turbulent periods before and after the war, I think these quotes are full of feeling and get to the heart of the matter.
Come to think of it, once when I went out to do cold calling at a fashion specialty store in Ueno, someone suddenly called out to me from behind.
"Hey, Ishii-kun. Why are you here?"
When I turned around, I saw him standing there with his cute grandson. I tried to explain away by saying, "I just had to meet someone..." but I'm sure he was always wandering around department stores and fashion boutiques, looking for the latest fashion trends. By the way, the grandson who was with him was, yes, Hiroyuki, the current president of the company. 
Series: "Thoughts Passed Down"
Episode 1 – Portrait of Founder Takamasa Komiya –
Episode 2 – Meeting with the second-generation president, Takeshi Komiya –
Episode 3 – In a rapidly changing market, "Komiya Shoten's Western-style umbrellas" take shape -
