Father of the current representative Nakajō Yūsuke; took office as representative in Heisei 1 (1989) and passed the role to Yūsuke in 2017.
Taking the workshop from my forebears
In Heisei 1 (1989) I took this workshop over from my forebears. The age of mass retailers was arriving and price competition was heating up — how a family bedding business with roots in 1873 could carry on was the most immediate question of my generation. What I inherited was not only the workshop itself, but the commitment to keeping production in Japan.
Re-examining the workshop standard
As the third generation, I re-examined what the workshop exists for: not maximum volume, but Japanese bedding that can be recommended with a clear conscience.
Carrying the standard forward
The workshop chose to recalibrate its craft standard to a level it could recommend to family with a clear conscience. That commitment continues to guide its work, and the representative role passed smoothly to the next generation in 2017.
Handing it to the next generation
In 2017 I passed the representative’s seat to the Fourth Generation, Yūsuke. Handing the family business to the next generation is not an ending but the way a family business with roots in 1873 endures. I now return to the workshop now and then, and seeing the staff and Yūsuke continuing the family commitment to making shikibuton that help customers sleep well — is this generation’s greatest peace of mind.