I used to think that even if you make something good, whether it reaches anyone else is another story, but lately, I've started to think that maybe it does reach people. I'll talk about which it is.

 

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That's because recently, for some reason, I've been receiving a series of delightful orders, such as from my favorite shops I frequented in London and from long-loved established brands.

 

More than the joy of them buying, this situation where I'm contacted by people I once simply admired from afar fills me with a strange feeling, as if my past self is looking down on me, after the initial wave of excitement has passed.

 

I think to myself that if you pursue something you love, no matter how small, you'll eventually connect with others in some way, and then, when it comes to actually working, I feel a sense of sadness that one of my "admirations" disappears.

 

 

Amidst all this,

the president of the Izumi-Otsu weaving factory that weaves our blankets passed away recently.

The company itself will be taken over by his daughter, who had been working with him all along.

 

Dedicated to making blankets, our products cannot be made without them.

 

The blanket industry in Izumi-Otsu thrives on the traditional "division of labor" for each process: yarn dyeing, weaving, napping, and sewing.

For me, who mostly works in Tokyo,

it was only recently that I realized the immense difficulties involved in running a company within such a small community.

 

Before he passed away, unaware of his condition,

I visited the factory to check on new products.

 

While riding in the car together,

I narrowed my brows and said to his daughter (who is around my age), "Oh no, you have another blanket association drinking party today?"

She replied with a natural smile, "Well, they always take care of us, so it's a way to repay their kindness." That smile still lingers in my mind.

 

I felt ashamed of myself for thinking things had changed,

even though neither the machines nor the people supporting the local industry's division of labor had changed at all from the past.

 

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No matter how much the quality is recognized by those I admire,

it is only thanks to them that it is actually made.

 

It's "Made in Japan," but it's also "Made in Izumi-Otsu,"

and it's the quality that can only be achieved because it's "Made by Hinode Woolen Mills Co., Ltd."

 

Coincidentally,

with such feelings, we had just renewed our labels this year.

 

The meaning of engraving "Sunrise Woolen Mills,"

which is much larger than BasShu.

 

Who made it, where it was made, and how special it is.

Japan has production areas and factories with such wonderful technology.

Izumi-Otsu has them.

It's not "Made in Japan"; it's "Made by Hinode Woolen Mills."

That was our intention.

 

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In fact, its quality is recognized worldwide,

and it is about to cross the seas.

 

While feeling proud,

ultimately, can we manufacturers only convey things through our products?

 

While I'm happy that it's reaching people step by step,

the painstaking slowness of it all makes me look up at the sky.

 

I'm frustrated and vexed, constantly thinking about such things.

 

posted by A. Imoto