Komiya Shoten's exclusive craftsman, Oguni Shoichi, is a veteran umbrella craftsman with over 70 years of experience.
Our relationship with Komiya Shoten began about 60 years ago, and together with his wife, he has supported our manufacturing for many years, not only making umbrellas but also training successors.
In addition to his reliable work, Oguni-san's personality is also one of his charms. He trains his apprentices with care and attention to detail, and above all, he has a kind personality, so many people look forward to his visits several times a month. His uncompromising passion and popularity make him loved by everyone.
Although he is truly a model craftsman, Oguno was once an apprentice himself.
The magazine that got you in touch, "Monthly Tove June Issue"
Kogane began his career as an apprentice at a shop founded in the Meiji period that manufactured, processed and wholesaled umbrellas.
Unfortunately, it has been quite some time since the company went out of business, but it is one of the few companies that has remained in business throughout the history of Japan's Western-style umbrella industry, from its earliest days to its heyday.
The other day, Kazuko Shirasawa, the eldest daughter of Mr. Kobayashi, the founder of the umbrella shop, visited Komiya Shoten and told us about Mr. Kobayashi and umbrella making at that time.
Shirasawa-san saw the booklet that Kounogi-san was featured in and took the time to contact him.
Shirasawa-san came to our shop. His vivid story brings back vivid images of those days.
At the age of 15, Kounage started working at Fujiya Umbrella Shop (Kobayashi's umbrella shop) as a live-in apprentice, along with six other people from his time at the time.
At that time, it was common for people to start working immediately after graduating from junior high school.
What kind of boy was Ogusan, who left his parents and devoted himself to training in an unfamiliar land?
"Masa-chan was the first person to come and live with us, so I remember her well. She was a very earnest and kind person."
All the staff members listening to his story couldn't help but smile when they heard that there was someone who affectionately called Oguno-san "Masa-chan."
"His father was very strict about making umbrellas, and Masa-chan would often get angry at him. In those days, it was normal to work without days off and into the night, and everyone worked late into the night. Masa-chan worked very hard under the guidance of his strict father."
The young Koyanagi trained hard every day until late into the night, and as he was also a live-in apprentice, his work was diverse.
The abacus that was actually used during trading. It is well-worn.
"At the end of the year, the crowds were huge and umbrellas sold like hotcakes. He would go and get the umbrella fabric and deliver the finished umbrellas to the wholesaler, so he was on the go all day. Not only that, Masa also looked after my daughters and I. He was a caring, kind older brother."
Because he was so highly trusted by his masters and seniors, his instruction was very strict and he would sometimes shed tears, but even so, he treated people with kindness and compassion, and it is hard not to see him as he is today.
A Meiji-era in-between stitching machine on display at the Higashi Nihonbashi shop
In addition to learning about Mr. Kogusan, we also had the opportunity to hear valuable stories about the umbrella industry at the time.
"The sewing machine that did the center stitch was hand-cranked. You turned it with your right hand and fed the fabric with your left hand. The way to operate it electrically came much later. It took a very long time, but umbrellas were so popular that they couldn't keep up with the demand."
"It's hard to imagine now, but back in the day, all the umbrellas lined up on the first floor of department stores were umbrellas. There were even big exhibitions just for the umbrella industry. One umbrella cost as much as a month's salary, and people took good care of them and used them to match their outfits. It was a very stylish and wonderful time."
Not just this time, but every time I hear a story from the past, I am reminded that there is still a lot of fascinating things that can be conveyed through umbrella making.
The umbrella that Shirasawa-san has treasured since she got married.
"I still use the umbrella I received when I got married. It's been almost 60 years now. I know how hard it is to make them, so I treasure them very much."
Western-style umbrellas, which are considered lucky charms because of their wide silhouette when opened, were often given as wedding gifts. It can be said that umbrellas played a much larger role in people's lives in those days than they do today.
It was a time when boys like Kounage were struggling to become independent.
An unfamiliar land, a strict boss, and days so difficult they brought me to tears.
But they never gave up and kept on walking, and their strong steps, step by step, leave unfading footprints that continue to us.
I felt this sense of reality when I listened to Shirasawa-san's story as he recounted those days with his eyes narrowed.
The passion that leads to the manufacturing of Komiya Shoten today began to sprout in a small but powerful way more than half a century ago.
Finally, after carefully looking around the shop, Shirasawa commented, "I'll come back next time to choose a gift."
After hearing that story, this one sentence also had a particularly deep impact on us.
Let us strive to create products that will enable someone in the distant future, who has inherited our thoughts, to look back on the past with the same emotion.
Needless to say, this day, when we were able to make such a resolution with respect and gratitude to our predecessors, was an irreplaceable day for us.
Thank you, Shirasawa-san, for sharing your valuable story with us.
