Chita cotton originated during the Keicho era (around 1600) as a side business for farmers, producing raw cotton that was sent to Edo. From the Meiji era onwards, production surged due to the invention of power looms.
Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten is a fabric wholesaler established in 1953 in Okada, Chita City. In addition to its wholesale business, it opened an antenna shop for Chita cotton in Okada, engaging in activities to showcase the charm of Chita cotton.
PROFILE
Ryo Takeuchi
Third-generation owner of Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten, cotton fabric sommelier
The Chita Peninsula extends south of Nagoya, where gentle sunlight bathes the hilly terrain, making it a region known for the cultivation of mandarins and other crops. In the northwestern part of the peninsula, along the coast facing Ise Bay, lies the Okada area, which was once the center of the Chita cotton textile industry.
“Between the Showa years 30 and 50, nearly 700 shops were members of the Chita Textile Union. Approximately 10,000 people were engaged in the cotton industry. At that time, the population was lower than it is now, so it was quite likely that their neighbors worked in textiles as well."
So says Ryo Takeuchi, the president of Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten, which has been operating as a fabric wholesaler in the area. He has witnessed Okada through three generations, thanks to his grandfather, the late Hiroshi, who founded the company.
“As we moved into the latter half of the Showa era, union membership drastically decreased, and by the beginning of the Heisei era, it had fallen below one third. Now, there are only about ten shops left.”
The roads of Okada are narrow. On either side of the small path stand storehouses and blackboard fences from the Edo to Meiji eras, reflecting the remnants of the once prosperous area. Just where this small path opens up to the prefectural road is the antenna shop for Chita cotton operated by Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten, called “Chita Cotton 478.”
“Between the Showa years 30 and 50, nearly 700 shops were members of the Chita Textile Union. Approximately 10,000 people were engaged in the cotton industry. At that time, the population was lower than it is now, so it was quite likely that their neighbors worked in textiles as well."
So says Ryo Takeuchi, the president of Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten, which has been operating as a fabric wholesaler in the area. He has witnessed Okada through three generations, thanks to his grandfather, the late Hiroshi, who founded the company.
“As we moved into the latter half of the Showa era, union membership drastically decreased, and by the beginning of the Heisei era, it had fallen below one third. Now, there are only about ten shops left.”
The roads of Okada are narrow. On either side of the small path stand storehouses and blackboard fences from the Edo to Meiji eras, reflecting the remnants of the once prosperous area. Just where this small path opens up to the prefectural road is the antenna shop for Chita cotton operated by Takeuchi Hiroshi Shoten, called “Chita Cotton 478.”
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