Recently Nikkei BP, one of the most famous Japanese web magazines, features the theme “Japan’s 1000 Years Artifice” that focuses on people who challenge the revival of Japanese traditional industries by sustainable way so as to run them for another 1000 years.

There a young man names Mr. Hiroyuki Saitoh (age 36), who was once an engineer working with NTT Internet, but now has changed his path completely and dedicates his life in Japanese traditional hand-made paper production Tesuki Washi in a small town.

Saitoh-san was born and brought up in Kanagawa, suburb Tokyo. About 10 years ago then he was working as a SE in Yokohama, he met a soul mate Akiko-san who changed his life.

He learnt that her native place Uchiko-cho, a town situated 30 km away from Matsuyama the capital city of Ehime, Shikoku, was inviting young people who had willingness not only to inherit their traditional industry but also to grow it as world-class brand.

Back then the chamber of commerce of Uchiko-cho had just established a project “JAPAN Brand”, to promote their traditional industries to the world in order to strengthen and energize the town’s economy. Under the scheme they aimed to produce innovative new products or services based on their artifacts.

Particularly Uchiko-cho is famous for Washi production called “Ikazaki Washi” over several centuries. According to the survey report, once upon a time during Japan’s civilization at Meiji era (1900’s), there used to be 68,562 Washi makers in Uchiko-cho; but the number drastically decreased year by year and now (in 2008) just 296 remain (Source: http://www.tesukiwashi.jp/). Mass-produced yet cheap foreign papers replaced with expensive and time consuming Washi.

He felt empathy toward the town’s efforts and made his mind to leave everything and jumped in the totally new world of Washi.

The region surrounding Uchiko-cho is also popular as the homeland of Ryoma Sakamoto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_Ry%C5%8Dma), a heroic politician cum businessman in Bakumatsu period (the end of Samurai era) who contributed to bring “change” in Japan during Meiji Restration. Saitoh-san was an intense fan of him and his bold decision was backed up by Ryoma’s phrase: “世の人は我を何とも言わば言え 我が成す事は我のみぞ知る (I do not care what people say about me. I do only know what I am going to achieve)”

After several years of painstaking training, trial-and-error, Saitoh-san has started his own Tesuki Washi company “Ikazaki Shachu” in 2008. The name is after “Kameyama Shachu”, the first public limited company in Japan started by Ryoma .

Saitoh-san is now preparing for “JAPAN Brand Exhibition” to be held in Paris shortly. He leads the team of creating new concept Washi products like wallpaper, tapestries, light-sheds under the guidance of a French wallpaper artist invited from France.

“Our next goal is to reenergize the traditional artifacts in the form of indigenous industries in order to generate sustainable local employment”, Mr. Kazushige Kubo, chairperson of chamber of commerce of Uchiko-cho who heads “JAPAN Brand” initiative says.

Although there seem yet many hurdles to run the company smoothly, Saitoh-san is very positive for the challenges he accepted, backed up by his spouse Akiko-san’s support.

“Next one year will be very critical for me, I must pave the way for the continuity of my business”, says he.

Based on Nikkei Business Online Magazine (Source: http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/pba/20090625/198568/)