More are used by sewing factories.
(How many years have the store continued?) Well, it was established in Taisho 9, so it will be 80 years. (What about the one in Negishi?) The one in Negishi is the head office. Rather, it's where the business started. Since the land there was limited, we just moved the factory. (What a magnificent factory!) Well, no, it's not that big, but in order to produce quantity, we need this much facility. Now, the quantity has decreased than before, but one time, so much sold that we couldn't even catch up. All the scissors stores couldn't catch up because so much sold. (When was this?) It was during the Shouwa Era. (Is that when lady's magazines contained dress patterns?) Yes, it was very popular. Young people started to go to dressmaking schools. After the war, when much resource was missing, people went to school to sew clothes and there, scissors were used. (Is that when Mr.Miura started to work?) Yes, since I became a disciple in Shouwa 29. (Is Shouzaburou your father's name?) Yes, it's Shouzaburou Miura. He named it after his name. (Have you always done this job after you finished school?) Yes, I worked at the factory while I went around requesting jobs and I did delivery to our customers. (Sales?) Well, sales, and other stuff I did. If you only stay in the factory, you would not know anything about the world, so you have to go outside and meet many people. Artisans tend to stay in the workshops. Many are bad at talking, so they work in the workshops. It's good in a way because this way, they can make good products, but to take in what is demanded from the world, one should go out and add that to their work. (Scissors change from the customer's demands?) No, our scissors are used more by sewing factories than the ordinary people. Of course, many untrained people use it, too. (You supply them to the factories that sew clothes?) Yes, and clothing stores have their own type of scissors. For example, one's master would say, "These are good, so use these." (Is there one for small shops, too?) Yes, at all the department stores, handicrafts speciality stores, and cutlery speciality stores. (Many scissors for sewing?) Yes, we only make scissors for sewing.

Putting two blades together and making them sharp, is done by hand.
(Have you made some by hitting?) Yes, in old times. After the war, for several years, that was enough, but the demand increased and since we thought that it wouldn't be enough, we changed the way we produce. Then, we were able to produce in great amounts. Others of the same profession changed their ways, also. Then the materials were produced in amounts and the products were the same as the ones of the tontenkan-era. (Now, do you use machines?) No, it's almost all done by hand. It's not all by machine. Sharpening by grindstones and polishing by powder puff. This can be done with a machine, but putting two blades together and making them sharp, is done by hand. This cannot be done with a machine. (Of course!) Yes, this is a traditional technique and one pair of blades at a time is adjusted to make them sharp. If only the method of the old times is used, the price would be too expensive. Scissors are used as a tool so if they became too expensive, no one would use them. Therefore, we have to be able to produce in big amounts, otherwise the price could not be lowered. If it was an artistic product, we can make it all by hand and make it expensive, but it would not work for scissors. It does not make much difference, so we use machines for some parts. If we use the old method now, a pair would cost about 80 thousand yens. If it cost 80 thousand yens, no one would buy it. Even if a clothing shop made a dress for a million yen, they would not buy a pair of scissors for more than 80 thousands. (Are there orders for a pair made in the old method?) No, there isn't. Even if there was, they would be shocked to hear the price. There might be someone collecting these for hobby, but that would be one in more than a few years. (Laughing) Now, in the general size of 240mm, the price is 5600 yen. Other companies have more expensive ones. Our customer is surprised when they find out the price is 5600 yen. Scissors this size, the customers buy them only if they were 2500 to 3500 yen. If they were any cheaper, they would doubt the quality and would not purchase them. Answers to a survey proved so.

We don't sell products that don't have the name Shouzaburou.
(Why do Shouzaburou scissors sell so well?) Quality is needless to say, the name is quite well known, and also it is sold throughout the country and we once advertised it on the radio. People from the sewing factories remember the name and they buy and use our products because they are good. (Are your scissors used in dressmaker's shops?) Yes, of course. They don 't know the name of the blades. Maybe they don't mind. For cameras, there's CANON, but for scissors, a lot of people don't know the name of the maker. The name is on the scissors and they know that, but they seem not to mind. They choose by the price. (What about the name for the ordinary people?) There are many names. Ours is Shouzaburou, but there are many that wholesalers have. A wholesales has an artisan make a product with the name of the wholesaler on it and sells it. (Are Shouzaburou sometimes sold in these wholesalers?) Yes, sometimes, but in those cases, we have the name on the back side. We don't sell products that don't have the name Shouzaburou. We have responsibility over the products as the maker.

They are often thrown away with the threads.
(Are there many scissors for cutting thread?) There aren't many these days. Well, ordinary people don't use them much. However, the elderly people still use them. The sewing factories still use them, but they often get lost. They're small so they get lost somewhere and are often thrown away with the threads and they become consumption articles. (Ah! I have seen these scissors somewhere!) The history of thread-cutting scissors is longer than that of a cloth-cutting scissors. (The old lady in "Shita-kiri suzume"had it?) Yes, yes. (Those scissors were quite big?) Yes. They were used for cutting nails, too. And also for cutting the hair of a sumo wrestler. Recently, they use bigger, longer scissors.

We export to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other places.
(How is the sales lately?) It's decreasing. For the past ten years. (Since they started to sell cheap men's suits?) Yes, since then, the sales started to go bad. All over the country, the demand decreased greatly. (Were there less artisans?) The artisans are all elderly people, so they somehow earned their living, but the amount they produce had decreased greatly from before. (How many pairs does Shouzaburou make now?) It has decreased greatly. One time, we produced a few hundred thousand pairs, but now, we produce a few ten thousand pairs a year. The big reason is that most of the sewing factories had moved to China and Southeast Asia. (Aren't Japanese scissors exported to China?) Of course we want to, but because of the price, they won't sell in China. Because the price is generally cheap, expensive tools aren't used. Chinese scissors are cheap. They cannot be said to be high in quality. Since wages are low and products are cheap, they have to use cheap tools. When Japanese sewing factories go to China with our (Shouzaburou) scissors and give them to the workers there, they sneak them home and say that they lost them. So the enterprises buy the local cheap scissors. (Do you export to Southeast Asia?) No, to Hon Kong, Taiwan, and other places we do. We had exported to Taiwan even before the war. After the war, we exported a great amount to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Now, only half of when most were exported. In Taiwan, Shouzaburou is a brand, and once there were fake products.

We inherit the traditional technique of the Japanese sword.
(Are there high-quality scissors overseas?) Yes. Some are quite old models, but one in Germany is quite magnificent. (What are the differences in the scissors produced overseas?) The design and the finish are different. It has a modern appearance over all. On that point, Japanese scissors use the traditional techniques of the Japanese sword. (Difference in finish and the design?) In short, it's design plus the finish. (How is that when used?) It's either you choose by the design or how it fits your fingers. (Are there fashionable scissors from overseas?) Yes, there are. (What are the characteristics of the Japanese scissors?) They come from the traditional techniques of the Japanese sword. Japanese scissors are very sharp in the blades and the two blades are filed very lightly. So it's easier to cut clothing materials. (What about the scissors from overseas?) They are made in different ways with different materials and the blades are filed heavily. This is enough for the foreigners. (Can Japanese people use them?) It's not impossible, but the hand will get tired. Tailors won't be able to use them. (How do the foreigners use them?) They have bigger hands and more power so they want to feel that their hands are actually cutting. On the other hand, Japanese people hold the scissors with four fingers and they want to cut lightly.

The will of the person himself.
(Are there anyone to succeed you?) I have a son, but he does the company' s accounting. (What about the scissor- making?) He doesn't do it now, but he has the general knowledge. He is still inexperienced technically. Many say that their sons won't inherit, but if the fathers always say, "No profit, no money, this business has no hope in the future," no one would want to inherit. If there is no wage for a month, they will say, "No way if there is no hope for the future." (Some people come back because they don't like being ordinary businessmen?) I hear those stories sometimes. (Is it better to start the training after graduating middle school like the old times?) Yes, now, it's not so necessary to learn the work with so much time, but the important thing is the will of the person himself. Some people get bored with the job and quit.

The history of the Japanese scissors.
(What about the history of the Japanese scissors?) Here is a good resource so please take a look....... Before, much manufacturing techniques developed in Edo, especially many of the samurai's swords were made elaborately.　 When it became a peaceful world, there were less need for swords, and since the prosperous production of guns was prohibited, these smith artisans started to make the best use of their skills and started to concentrate on the cutlery necessary for everyday life. The first scissors made by the sword smith of the Edo era was those for trees and plants. This is the prototype of all scissors. Entering the Meiji era, with the rapid change of the dress and its accessories to the European style, strong and long cutting scissors that could cut thick materials or woolen cloth efficiently were used instead of the knives, cutting scissors, thread-cutting scissors, and scissors for plants.　Yajyuurou Yoshida( called Yakichi) a disciple of a sword smith of Edo, Kinzou Kozukahara, quit producing swords because of the prohibition and mainly made scissors for plants. With the influence of the European style, a great amount of clothing was imported and at the same time,　merchants of Yokohama are said to have brought in the imported scissors. Yakichi, after seeing the imported scissors, used his technology as a sword smith to designed a new technique. He embossed the scissors from a stick of iron material and came up with easy-to-use scissors that were not less exquisite than the imported ones. This is said to be the beginning of the scissors in our country. Yakichi had more than ten disciples. They, with their unique techniques, made cutting scissors. He had many grand-disciples who contributed to the fashion industry. All the scissor producing companies of Tokyo have inherited the traditional technique of Yakichi in a proper way and they continue to produce excellent scissors today.

When he saw stick of iron turned into a pair of scissors.
(Why did Mr.Miura's father start making scissors?) When he was a child, there was a factory of Yakichi's disciple near the house, and when he saw a sick of iron turning into a pair of scissors, he became interested and became a disciple himself. Back then, there were a lot of artisans in downtown. (May I please see the inside of the factory?) Yes. Now, in this factory, we cannot do any operational work that produces oscillation or big noise, as a result of the neighboring residences. The first process of producing scissors is done in the factories in Niigata, and here, we do the process after the heat-management. After it's heated, there are always some disorders, so we fix that. This work has not changed from before. We fix them by hitting each one with a hammer. Then, we use machine to grind them with a whetstone. Then next is polishing. We put them in the buffering machine one by one and polish them in the Japanese style. After they are polished, we put the name Shouzaburou and screw them together. After we screw the two blades together, we adjust them. This process is traditional technique from the past. (What does the wooden stick do?) This is used to bend or twist the blades. These process are done with Tokyo products only. It is one of the traditional techniques of Yakichi. After they are screwed and adjusted, then next is painting of the handle. In our company, we adhere the powder by electricity, and then bake it in the oven, and it is done. The finished products are examined again, then packed and shipped. This is the end of my explanation. (Thank you very much.)