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 fourth 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 Fifth 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.