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300 Years of Delivering Tools that Embody Artisan Skills & Tradition – the Specialist Shop for Brushes & Brush Specialists: "Edoya"

2024.10.30

Where there's good work and a comfortable lifestyle, there are good tools.

Brushes are invaluable not just for painting and crafting but also for cleaning, cooking, and makeup, proving essential in every scene of work and life.

Continuously crafting a diverse range of products in tune with the changing times is the specialized brush and brush store "Edoya," located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. It boasts a history of more than 300 years since its founding.

Guided by their motto, "Delivering products that are user-friendly from the customer's perspective," they offer goods made with natural horsehair and pig hair, hand-planted by skilled artisans. We spoke with the 12th-generation owner, Katsutoshi Hamada, about Edoya's journey, their thoughts on brush-making, and what they've maintained despite changing times.

PROFILE

Katsutoshi Hamada

The 12th-generation head of the brush and brush specialty shop "Edoya." Born in 1942, he joined Edoya Co., Ltd. after graduating from university. He became the president in 1979. Since 2003, he has served as the chairman of the preservation society for the traditional event "Nihonbashi Bettara Ichi," held every October, helping to manage a historic tradition from the Edo period.

Brush Making Continuously Built Upon Since the Edo Period

First, could you tell us about your business?

We specialize in selling a wide range of brushes for industrial use, household hair brushes, clothing brushes, makeup brushes, cooking brushes, and scrubs.

The "Edo brush," which we have crafted since our founding, is one of Tokyo's traditional crafts. It includes the Kyoji brush for Fusuma and folding screens, dyeing brushes used in the dyeing of chintz and stencil printing, and white powder brushes used in Kabuki makeup.

For bristle materials, we use natural hairs like pig, horse, and boar. For instance, makeup brushes require soft goat hair since they touch the face.

Urushi brushes used in making lacquerware employ human hair. As these brushes wear thin, the wooden handle side with the bristles is gradually shaved back. This allows the brushes to be used until the handle is about 3 cm, giving them more than a decade of use.

It is surprising to have brushes that last over ten years. Could you also tell us about your business's beginnings?

The founder, Rihei, trained as a brush maker in Kyoto before becoming the Shogunate's official brush maker, supplying brushes for artists and makeup brushes for the women in the inner palace. Later, he established the "Edoya" brand, founding a specialized shop for Edo brushes in 1718 (Kyoho 3).

With the arrival of the Meiji era, European culture flowed into Japan through things like military uniforms and boots. We responded to these changes in lifestyle by starting to produce hair brushes and clothing brushes, in addition to brushes.

My father passed away when I was young, and my grandfather and grandmother ran the store. Being the eldest son, and aware from an early age of my family's prestigious legacy, I naturally assumed I would inherit the shop. Forty-five years have passed quickly since I became the head at 37.

Why did you set up shop in Nihonbashi?

The Odenma Honmachi Street, where Edoya stands, used to be a town filled with cotton wholesalers and merchants. We likely opened our store here because we were supplying brushes to local dyeing craftsmen.

Back then, the area was thriving as a premier commercial district in Edo. This is well depicted in Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e "The Prosperity of Odenmacho (東都大伝馬街繁栄之図)," which is displayed in our store.

The area is lined with office buildings, but the Edo-ya's exterior is full of charm and stands out. I hear the building is designated as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan.

The current building was constructed in the Taisho era, after the Great Kanto Earthquake. It's a type of architecture known as "signboard architecture," where the shop is on the ground floor and the residence above. When viewed from the front, the six lines on either side of the window represent brushes.

As it was an old building, in 2010, we dismantled it once to reinforce its earthquake resistance and redid the foundations. Although it cost money, we had a strong desire to preserve the building, so we renovated it to recreate the former store as closely as possible. It was completed just four months before the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred—truly, just in the nick of time.

The Wide Variety of Tools Known as Brushes & More

Upon entering the store, the sight of many brushes hanging from the ceiling immediately caught my eye. How many products do you have?

If you store brushes in a box, the bristles can get bent, which is why we display and sell them hung from the ceiling.

If you include custom-made items not displayed, we have about 3,000 types. Especially industrial brushes, which vary greatly in size and material, from large to small. As we create them tailored to each purpose, the number of products keeps increasing.

What are your main products among them?

The sales of industrial brushes used in semiconductor manufacturing are significant, but these are not very visible to regular customers. For general customers, hair brushes, clothing brushes, toothbrushes, and bottle brushes sell well. Many customers from overseas, especially Europe, have been visiting recently after viewing our website.

Many customers visit looking for high-quality Japanese craftsmanship. I heard that there are more than 20 kinds of hair brushes alone.

Customers who visit the store often prefer hair brushes. Since hair brushes differ in size, bristle type, and planting method, it is best to try them on your hair and compare their comfort before choosing.

Toothbrushes are also popular. Ordinary toothbrushes are made from synthetic fibers and start to fray after about a month. Our toothbrushes use natural horsehair and boar bristles, so they are less likely to fray and can be used for 3 to 4 months. Natural bristles are gentle on the gums and less likely to cause damage, making them recommended for gum massages too.

Can you give some tips on using or choosing clothing brushes?

Many people may brush their clothes before going out, but it is recommended to brush them when you return home from outside before putting them in the closet. Snapping your wrist while brushing removes dust and pollen embedded in the fibers or weave, preventing static electricity and helping your clothes last longer.

Clothing brushes come in different types depending on the fabric. For men's suits and other sturdy fabrics, we make brushes with strong black boar bristles. For delicate fabrics like cashmere, kimono, or silk, we create brushes using the fine, delicate bristles of boars, which differ in hardness from root to tip.

Holding a clothing brush in hand feels comfortable and makes it something to look forward to using daily. They would also make a delightful gift. Is there any interaction with customers that has left an impression on you?

A hairstylist who visited for an interview was using a hairbrush bought from us 30 years ago. When I saw the brush, the bristles were worn thin and about half their original length.

I offered, "You've used it so much. I'll give you a new hairbrush," but the hairstylist said, "No, no, this brush has combed the hair of thousands of actresses—it’s the best." I was surprised to hear that. I never dreamed it would be used for so long, but it truly makes the business worthwhile.

Continuing to Be a Reliable Presence, "Go to Edoya, and You'll Find What You Need"

Are there any challenges you feel while continuing the business?

Edoya's brushes are supported by the skills of about 150 craftsmen scattered across Japan. Many have been associated with us since the previous generation, but due to aging, these craftsmen are retiring from manufacturing. Each craftsman has different specialties, and currently, there are only two craftsmen nationwide who make lacquer brushes.

Some elderly craftsmen work until they're about 80, but with fewer craftsmen, delivery times are getting longer. Yet, we still must request manufacturing to meet customer demands.

Making brushes also requires a certain level of skill, and it takes around ten years to become proficient. Therefore, we need to turn the industry into one where young people would want to enter and continue this work.

Is there anything new you'd like to create or challenge yourself with in the future?

Our business is fundamentally "on the supply side of tools."

We receive requests like "Please make this part more like this" from those who use brushes in their work, so we listen to them and provide high-quality products. I am confident that only our company can achieve this.

Our policy is to offer products that are not discarded after a month or a year, but some can last for nearly 10 years. We want to be a store that both professional craftsmen and general customers rely on, with the reputation "If you go to Edoya, you'll find what you need."

How would you approach people who haven’t tried Edoya’s products yet?

It’s an era where you can buy anything from general stores or 100-yen shops, but I believe you'll only understand how good tools are by using them. Tools born from the skills of craftsmen are both functional and durable, and they make you feel enriched while using them. So, I hope you try them at least once. Once you do, I'm sure you'll notice the difference.

Text by Saori Terada