Nihonbashi (bridge)toothpicktoothpick
Toothpicks are a familiar product to us. But have you ever used a KUROMOJI toothpick? Nihonbashi Saruya, the only toothpick specialty store in Japan, has been in business for more than 300 years since the Edo period and embodies the history of toothpicks in Japan. What are the characteristics of the “Kuromoji” that Saruya values so much, and how does the company establish the Saruya “brand”? We asked Ryota Yamamoto Ryota, the ninth generation owner of Saruya Nihonbashi, about his thoughts and ideas while introducing the company’s lineup of products and services, including senryo-boxes, Tsujiyomi toothpicks, sake, and personalized imprinting.
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Senryobako, Tsujiyomi toothpicks, sake, personalized …… lineup of various products and services
Toothpicks are developed as variations of various products, right?
There are two types of toothpicks: for interdental use and for Japanese sweets. Although Kuromoji has a strong image of being used for Japanese confectioneries, we also use it for interdental use, and we shave each toothpick by hand or pass it through a round blade mold to create a thin toothpick tip.
For example, a paulownia wood box with toothpicks is decorated with a “Senryobako” design and sold as a souvenir.
So the Senryobako that you have seen in restaurants may belong to Saruya.
This product was started by the fifth generation, and it has been the custom for the head of the family to write “Kin Senryo” in black ink on the paulownia box for generations. The eighth generation, my father, is currently writing the characters, but eventually I will be writing them myself.
It’s hard if you’re not a good writer.
My father has always had a bad penmanship, but he has practiced writing these Senryobako letters so much that he is able to write them as accurately as a machine (laughs). (Laughs) My grandfather, the seventh generation, told me that he was forced to write from the age of 14.
There are many other product lines.
Tsuji fortune-telling toothpicks” are toothpicks wrapped in a small piece of paper with a stylish phrase written on it. This product was created with the idea of adding an extra fun element to the toothpick itself.
It is a very stylish and stylish expression of the Edo period.
The aroma of kuromoji is also used to produce products such as liqueur and sake.
We were also told that they also offer a “personalized” toothpick service.
We offer personalized imprinting service by dancer and calligrapher Seiryo Uchiyama, who was introduced by his long-established senior colleague “Nihonbashi Bensho Sohonten”.
We are happy to see such a modern and stylish young man doing calligraphy.
Next, we would like to introduce a lineup of paulownia boxes with the Chinese zodiac signs painted on them. Over its long history, a variety of designs have been created, ranging from realistic to cute.
Inu-hariko (dog papier-mâché) in the style of “Ise-Tatsu” are also adorable.
The design for next year’s zodiac signs has been commissioned to the aforementioned Sei Yokuyan Uchiyama and will be completely changed again.
I see that you continue to upgrade the design.
What is “brand” for Nihonbashi Saruya?
We have heard about your various product and service lineups. Can you tell us what “brand” means to “Nihonbashi Saruya”?
We try not to disappoint our customers and to meet their requests as much as possible. The use of toothpicks is basically fixed, so we try to meet the customer’s requests for fineness and length. Also, among the many “SARUYA” that existed in the past, we are the only one that remains today. Therefore, I think that our continued existence is a brand in itself.
There is a saying that “tradition is a succession of innovations,” and I hear that “Nihonbashi Saruya” has been making many new attempts up to the present day.
I recently sent out a press release on the “NFT-ization” of the paulownia box design.
This is a new attempt to have others, such as contemporary artists, remix the original paulownia box patterns, reconstruct them, and sell them as both “NFT art” and “toothpicks”. Please search for “Saruya NFT” and see for yourself.
Nihonbashi Saruya’s vision for the future and what it values as a brand
How does “Nihonbashi Saruya” intend to conduct business as a long-established company in the future, given the changing times and environment?
One of the most immediate issues is that Chuo-dori Avenue in Nihonbashi will become a construction site due to redevelopment, which will reduce the number of customers coming and going. We will do our best to overcome this problem.
You have also begun to focus on mail order.
Since kuromoji is still a little-known element to the public, we will continue to focus on spreading the word about it.
To achieve this goal, you have been actively involved in educational activities such as giving lectures. You took a break once due to the Corona disaster, but I think the environment is gradually becoming conducive for you to resume your activities.
We will work on this as soon as the customers return as before.
As you revamp your product lineup, I think it is very difficult to decide which parts of the brand to change and which parts not to change. How do you make such decisions?
The basic premise is that we will never leave Kuromoji. In the past, we may have ventured into completely different businesses, but SARUYA is still “toothpicks”. We ask our customers frankly what they think about the design and other elements of our products. We take into consideration the opinions of our customers, such as “This one is more like SARUYA” or “This one is newer,” and reflect them in our decisions.
It seems to me that it is very difficult to choose between opinions.
At the end of the day, I consider it to be the personality of the head of the family at that time, and I try to make my own decisions.
Mr. Yamamoto, do you hope that your children will inherit “Nihonbashi Saruya” as the head of the family?
Not at all (laughs). I said that it is worthwhile to continue, but you don’t have to be my son. I was never told to “take over,” and I didn’t live my life with that intention.
Why did you decide to take over “Nihonbashi Saruya”?
I felt that I could not let “Nihonbashi Saruya” end with my parents’ generation. I am grateful to my bosses and colleagues at the time because my experience as a salaried worker was also useful in running the business.
Finally, Mr. Yamamoto, please give a few words to our readers.
Nihonbashi is home to not only long-established stores, but also a great many specialty stores specializing in crafts and food products such as seaweed and tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce). You may be able to find out the good qualities of kuromoji by actually holding it in your hand and smelling it. We hope that you will visit Nihonbashi for various purposes, such as learning about its history, and that you will also visit “Nihonbashi Saruya”.
Although toothpicks have been used by humans for more than 100,000 years, it is our privilege to live in a world where “Nihonbashi Saruya” exists, to be able to enjoy the attention to detail put into the Kuromoji and the “fun” that goes into the product lineup. We hope you will enjoy the relaxing effect of the fragrance, which was also used by warriors, and the delicate texture created by the craftsmanship.
*If you would like to see this dialogue on video.here (place close to the speaker or where the speaker is)
