President, Sanyo Leather Co., Ltd.
Born in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture. Graduated from Hiroshima University with a degree in Economics, where he studied Business Administration. Joined Sanyo Leather in 1995. At the age of 30, he sought to gain more experience and left the company, spending five years at a publicly traded company in Osaka, focusing on corporate management, primarily in accounting and finance. He rejoined Sanyo Leather in 2009. In 2021, he became the 10th President.
Executive Director, Sanyo Leather Co., Ltd.
Born in Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture. Graduated from the Graduate School of Agriculture at Nihon University. Studied animal husbandry at university and joined Sanyo Leather in 1990. Mainly engaged in the leather finishing division, responsible for product development and production management. In 2021, he became Executive Director, expanding his activities to areas such as consulting and proposing to customers, in addition to overseeing the entire leather manufacturing process.
Furthermore, to ensure the sustainable operation of the factory, he is working on improving the factory with an awareness of SDGs and establishing a factory management system by obtaining LWG (Leather Working Group) environmental certification.
Section Manager, Business Promotion Department, Sanyo Leather Co., Ltd.
Born in Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, at Kwansei Gakuin University, where he specialized in information processing of perception. After gaining experience as a System Engineer (SE) in the electronics and medical industries, as well as in graphic design and PR, he joined Sanyo Leather in 2021.
Primarily responsible for public relations at Sanyo Leather, he focuses on corporate branding, planning and managing events, and operating the website. He has written over 200 columns on the website dedicated to disseminating information about leather.
Traditional Leather Crafting Unique to Himeji: A History of Leather in the Region
Tell us about the beginnings of your company.
Toda: "First, in 1905, "Himeji Leather Factory (姫路製革所)" was established. At that time, Japan was promoting national policies of strengthening the country and encouraging industrial growth, and the purpose of this leather factory was to conduct modern leather making as a national policy.Given that Himeji City had a long history of leather production, it was established there. Later, in 1911, 'Sanyo Hikaku Co., Ltd. (山陽皮革株式会社)' was founded as a private company.
Initially, it was established to produce leather goods for military use domestically, as part of a national policy. However, after the war, the focus shifted to creating products that met civilian needs, such as bags and shoes.
The company name was changed to 'Sanyo Leather Co., Ltd. (株式会社山陽, although the Japanese name no longer retains the word hikaku meaning 'leather')' in 1977. With changing societal trends and the end of the high-growth economic period, we wanted to embrace various possibilities and challenges, which prompted the name change."
What methods are used to produce leather at your company?
Toda: "Our company produces leather using three methods: 'vegetable tannin tanning,' 'chrome tanning,' and 'white leather tanning.' Tanning is the process of turning hide into leather, preventing it from rotting. Let's have Shiota explain the details."Shiota: "For vegetable tannin tanning, we use 'tannin,' a polyphenol compound found in trees. For chrome tanning, we use a chemical agent called 'chrome tanning agent.'
Globally, only about 20-30% of leather is tanned using vegetable tannin. Moreover, our company conducts vegetable tannin tanning using pits known as pit tanks. Only a few companies in Japan are still using this method.
Our white leather originated from 'Himeji white tanning leather,' a traditional method unique to Himeji, known for its history of leather crafting. It is a very precious tanning method, making it difficult to produce in large quantities. Currently, we perform white tanning only upon customer request."
Is it difficult to perform vegetable tannin tanning using pit tanks?
Shiota: "It takes about a month for the tannin to penetrate the hide. It varies depending on the breed of cattle as well as individual differences.Additionally, the penetration varies with the temperature and water temperature, so in winter, we have to employ techniques like warming the liquid in the pit tank while tanning."
