-I often travel abroad. -Sewing by counting the number of textures. -Good stuff lasts long. -Since it is made of silk, the price differs with the weight or the amount. -Buying & selling is also the cultural exchange. -Maybe the current thought is right. -I can only finish one in a day for a big work. -In the past, I had done the crest for a sumo wrestler. -It's better to put the name of a person who gets it. -I try to do my works in good faith.

I often travel abroad:

I have prepared a few furoshiki(a cloth wrapper), which are especially Japanese style, and noren(shop curtain) that is not so high grade. I often travel abroad. And I have got about 300 orders of noren and sent them abroad. I sent them even though I cannot speak English. I feel doubt when sending that the customers may cheat on me but they all properly pay into my bank account. I feel doubt because I can hardly speak English and send the product to the United States arbitrarily before I get paid. I prepared cheap ones like an ukiyoe(a genre picture) which the foreigners favor. (How do the foreigners use furoshiki?) It is originally cloth wrappers, but I think most of them use as tapestries. Some put into frames. (You have hanged a lady picture on the entrance of a class room?) Yes (laugh). I asked that if it is okay with geisha girls and they said, "It is fine". I laughed. (Is this picture Alabama?) I go Alabama every year. I brought Japanese towels from some town assembly, and every elementary students at that school have hachimaki(head band) of my towel on and dancing bon-odori(Japanese style dance that is held in summer). I gave them a hundred of my towels since they wanted them. I saw the picture of bon-odori(Japanese style dance). (Does the principle like Japan?) Yes, Japan and also China. It is different from Japan that the education is free. An event like that. I feel doubt to hang this thing (laugh).

Sewing by counting the number of textures:

(Do you embroider crest on kimono?) Yes, I embroider family crest. (Embroidering a crest is great!!) Not so good as merchandise. It is done on sold products, so it not a good business. The number of craftsmen like this has decreased from dress fabrics stores of kimono. (When did you start embroidering?) I was late. About 20 years old. (Did your father have the same job?) No, I just entered suddenly. (Really!?) Yes, my wife is better than me(laugh). I am ashamed(laugh). (Does you wife have similar job?) My wife had good technique from the first place, and I still cannot get to the same level (laugh). I still cannot become independent. (Isn't it a sensitive work!?) yes. Sewing by counting the number of textures. I say it is to "read". One by one these textures. So it will be spoiled by making a small mistake. The mistake of 1mm is a failure in this business. (Is this also embroider?) No, this is just dyed. (Can you embroider same logo ?) I sometimes embroider over this. For example, hemming this cord with gold string. If flower is preferred, it would be done only on tree peony. If you embroider on every parts, it will cost a few hundred thousand yen. I get order like embroidering flower with 20000 yen since, it is for decoration.

Good stuff lasts long:

(Can foreigners understand the Japanese design?) Hum, it will be easier if you have flower design. I was asked to explain hyakunin-isshu by Ononokomachi(a game of one hundred poems cards)to a lady from Brazil, and it took about 1 year (laugh). (Is most of the Japanese traditional design?) Yes. I can do any kind, but good stuff lasts long. (Is there customary design?) Yes. The stuff that does not sell would be over after making about 100. The products that I think sell good actually does not have good sells. It is ironic world that the stuff which I think bad sometimes have good sells.

Since it is made of silk, the price differs with the weight or the amount:

Furoshiki(a cloth wrapper) which is commonly used is 68 cm of width. It is called futa-haba. Lately there are bigger sizes such as 72 cm or 90cm, but formally the size is 68cm. Since it is made of silk, the price differs with the weight or the amount though the design is same. You can tell the difference comparing these two. This one is the good one. The other one is not so. (What is this design called?) Let's say it's jidai-matsuri(ancient festival). This jidai-matsuri is green, and that has almost same design and is pink. They are little different. This is less valuable compared to the other one. (So you do both the embroidery and dyeing?) Yes. Dyeing is mostly used for design, and I am not the only one. There are better professionals.

Buying & selling is also the cultural exchange:

went to Indonesia dealing with Tokyo-prefecture. Since I'm the director of Japan Cultural Exchange Committee in Ginza, I go many places for Japan festival as a volunteer. It is held at schools abroad, mostly at the colleges though it was an elementary school in Germany. At the place, there was edo craftsmen booth. Since it was the culture exchange, many people such as teacher of flower arrangements and calligraphy were there. Since I'm a craftsman, I showed my works. There are many people who think it is only the exhibition because it is the culture exchange. But since I'm the craftsman, I negotiated so that I can sell to the people who want to buy my products. It was troublesome in the first place, but I got the permission and I sold them. So when I go abroad, I sell in some way. It is not a business. I donate the sells. Just showing and returning is only an exhibition. I think making conversation with craftsman, and buying & selling is also the cultural exchange. When I went to the US like this way and said "no checks and only cash", I was scolded. I was explained as the American way of business, but I tried to do it in my own Japanese way. They went to exchange the money at the bank 100km away, and brought $(laugh). Since it was Japan festival in New York, I worked with Japanese. I was invited to that festival. After I came back from New York, I went to Atlanta in a week. So the custom was strict asking me "Aren't you doing something bad?", I was examined. I told them that I can't speak English, but they said "you are good" and tried me to speak more for about 30 minutes. There was long line in the back of me, and all the people went to another line. Then, there was only me. It happens. But I visit to have interchange. I just don't go to do the business. I always look for the local specialty. I went there to see something. In Atlanta, I visited the battle field of "Gone with the Wind", and looked for and bought dug ammunition and parts of the buckle of a soldier at antique shop. So I am having fun. (Did it lead to the working for the elementary school?) Yes. An aged principle from Alabama that locates next to Atlanta. He talked me that he wants to buy my products. I came back though the conversation was not the end. He called me, and I sent my works. It is funny that he understood my English(laugh). I worried about the shipping, and more, but I could barely communicated with him. He was pleased. I got a few more orders after that and shipped my works. (Hang the noren(shop curtain) at the entrance of the class?) He said that he wants to hang it at the entrance. (Did you go to the US after that?) Yes. There was a Japanese in Taito prefecture who was taught by that teacher and visited me. I asked to do everything to him to send many stuff. I saw the picture. The pupils are dancing with a towel around their head that says bon-odori of the town assembly around here.

Maybe the current thought is right:

That is the embroidery of kamon. How do you translate kamon? In the Unites States, some people called it family wappen(meaning badge in German), but I said as family crest. (This is not a family crest, is it?) Right, it is not. It is just design. So for the people who stick to the family crest, I embroider it. (Is there any difference in Japanese and foreign embroidery?) Yes, Japan's are more precise such as smo-wrestler's ornamental apron, flag, curtain, donchou(thick) curtain, and there family crest. Edo embroidery is from big to small stuff. (Is donchou(thick curtain) difficult?) Yes. It's a tough work. There are strong and weak points. The craftsmen who make donchou cannot do the embroidery, and also we are not good at big stuff. It's like the difference of surgeon and physician in the hospital thought it is same as a doctor. So I don't do the big works often. I usually work on small things. (Are the family crest on kimono three points?) No, recently it is on one point. (Only on the back?) Yes. In the past, there were 3 or 5. But the customers are changing. When we say three, they were always on the back and sleeve. But young people wants them on the back and two in the chest. The reason for it is that when photo is taken, you cannot see the crest if there were only in the back and sleeve. It cannnot be happen to not have the crest in the front and can only take the picture of the back though a lot of money is payed. If the crest is on the chest, you can see it by just photo of your face. So it is not the custom anymore. It is the more of the importance. Maybe the current thought is right. It is reasonable.

I can only finish one in a day for a big work:

I can only finish one in a day for a big work. Some fast workers do 2 to 3 a day. I can't believe it. (Are there laborious and easy works?) Yes. (Are the prices different?) To tell the truth, there must be a difference, but now I do it depending on the sizes. There are not many people who do the embroidery. Many local works flow into Tokyo. The small works such as this are made at the local shops, but not the big ones. There are not many big works and probably nobody will do it. So most of them flow into Tokyo.

In the past, I had done the crest for a sumo wrestler:

In the past, I had done the crest for a sumo wrestler. I like sumo. (Do they have there crest on the kimono?) Yes kimono or haori(kimono coat). But its more the crest of the people who give. So when a president of a company give a kimono to a sumo wrestler, the president put his crest on the kimono. The president invites to a restaurant and treats a dinner. Then he gives some pocket money and the kimono. So for the next time the wrestler got invited, he remembers and puts on the kimono which given. It's rude if he wears something different. It takes about 1,2 seasons to finish the kimono after the wrestler promotes to jyuryou(ranking in sumo). My friend and I attempted to give a kimono to a wrestler. We measured the size and made it after 2 seasons, and he could not wear it anymore. He got big(laugh). So I made it over. It cost much money. People who succeed grows at once. It's a hard task, also costing much money.

It's better to put the name of a person who gets it:

(Can you put the names of the customers?) Yes, if I get an insisted order. But only the characters stand out if the name is too long. So, it's better to put your either first or last name, not the full name. When Japanese give as a present, I advice the customer to put the name who he/she give to. But there was a case when a lady put her own name so her boyfriend would not forget about her after he moved abroad. But its better to put the name of a person who gets it. That person who be more pleased. If there is another chance, I have some more of furoshiki(cloth wrapper) for foreign countries.

I try to do my works in good faith:

Though it is one out of many works for me, but for the customers, that one work is everything. They get an image of me with only one work. I cannot cut corners. I try to do my works in good faith.