Understand
Yamada Keitei Co.,Ltd. was founded in 1882, starting from sericulture to papermaking (hosho-zuki).When the company was incorporated in 1960, it was an integrated production company, with the elder brother making the paper and the younger brother going out to sell it in and out of the prefecture, as the company has also gained recognition for its highly skilled production of stock certificates, bonds, and securities with watermarks on Japanese paper.The industry as a whole was booming.
Since then, however, as is well known, several tides such as high economic growth, the bursting of the bubble economy, the paperless office, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the torrential rains in Fukui, the Great East Japan Earthquake, environmental problems, the spread of corona infection, and so on, have turned and trends have occurred that continue to shake the paper industry.In the midst of such a situation, the company is led by the fourth generation, Akihiro Yamada and his wife Takayo Yamada.
"Every time I see a tide, I worry about it, but I try to get through it as best I can,"
The people who are getting through this together are our families and employees.Even the signature product, yoshi paper, went through a period of uncertainty together until the tide turned.Yoshi paper is a certified non-wood paper that uses 30% to 100% reed pulp, which is made from reed that grows along riverbeds and processed into pulp. It is environmentally friendly as it does not use trees and helps prevent the deforestation of wood.
"Around 2000, we received a request to produce Yoshi paper, but the response was not good, and we did not sell well for about five years.However, the tide turned with the eco-boom, and recognition of reeds and Yoshi paper improved, and orders from various fields increased.The production of reed paper is a difficult task that is directly related to the environmental preservation of the reeds themselves, which have water purification properties, but I believe that it is meaningful to continue producing the product."
While waiting for the tide to turn, keep your antennae up in many directions. Incorporate user feedback into existing products and add new functionality.Alternatively, develop and implement ideas such as brushing up stock paper or reconfiguring scrap paper into new products.The initiative was taken by Takayo, who is in charge of product development, and the products are now being distributed under the Kyubei brand of Japanese paper stationery.
"The mask case was an early start for the Corona Disaster. One of our strengths is that we are able to respond immediately to customers' comments, such as, 'I wish 〇〇 was better,' We learn a lot from the surprises and discoveries we hear from our customers."
Just as old brother and young brother once had a good balance, today the couple continues to manage the business well, creating a good balance of products and goods that are in line with the times.
Mr. and Mrs. Yamada continue to create products and goods, believing in the potential of washi without going against the current trend.Even now, the two are happily talking about how bio-based raw materials can be used, how collaboration with different industries and fields is possible, and how something completely different from Japanese paper can be made.We cannot help but hope that even if the tide turns again in the future, it will change flexibly and continue into the next era.
Text / Miyuki Sasajima
