2024.04.19

The Passion Towards Footwear Culture Embodied in 'JOJO Naitou', Which Traces Its Roots to Straw Sandals

If you look at the feet of passersby, you'll see everyone wearing leather shoes, heels, or sneakers. If you only look at the footwear, you might not be able to tell if you're in Japan. That's how much Japanese footwear culture has been influenced by the West.

Traditionally, Japanese footwear consisted of straw sandals and geta (wooden clogs). Kimono, now mostly worn as formal wear, is seldom worn in everyday life. However, Seiji Naito, the head of Gion Naitou, is challenging this status quo.

Based on the belief that what originates from the climate and culture of a place is most suitable for its people, he has developed 'JOJO Naitou', which adapts straw sandals to modern life.

It seems that straw sandals have hidden charms that we're unaware of. So, in this article, we asked Naito about his passion for Japanese straw sandal culture and what 'JOJO Naitou' represents.

PROFILE

Seiji Naito

As the fifth-generation proprietor of 'Gion Naitou,' a traditional craftsman boasting a 140-year tradition founded on the crafting philosophy of 'beauty of utility.'

He himself is also active as a shoku-shonin (a merchant who also crafts by hand). In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, in 2011, he launched a new brand, 'mana project'. Using the techniques cultivated over 140 years and modern sensibilities, he unveiled a new form of footwear, 'JOJO Naitou'. In 2020, amidst societal changes due to the pandemic, he created 'KAPPO,' the second product under the 'manaproject.' In 2021, he released 'kodori,' a wedge sole type that does not differentiate between Japanese and Western style. Under the belief that 'the power of footwear is to bridge the most basic aspects of life, namely, clothing, food, and housing, and thus, connecting life and dreams,' he continues to express a unique worldview, promoting beauty and health.

The Crucial Few Millimeters of the Toe Thong

Please tell us about the production process of 'JOJO Naitou.'

We started selling it in 2013, but the inspiration came from 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. A Shinto priest who went to India to pray for the calming of the earthquake invited me to accompany him.

Just like Japan, India also has a culture of taking off shoes. With worshippers from all over the world, hundreds of pairs of shoes lined the entrance of the shrine. However, despite the variety, there wasn't a single pair that I found desirable.

I thought to myself that if the world does not have the kind of shoes I want, I should create my own using materials suitable for modern life, and that's how it all started.

I heard 'JOJO Naitou' has its roots in straw sandals.

I have heard that due to smartphones and desk work, people's posture has been deteriorating. However, I think that shoes are to blame. This is because sneakers, heels, and boots are not tools designed for Japanese bodies.

By using tools adapted to our skeletal structure, muscle strength, and DNA, our posture should naturally maintain a proper position, and tools adapted to different geographies should be born out of the respective climates and cultures of those areas. So, what are traditional Japanese shoes? The answer can only be straw sandals.

Straw sandals are footwear that makes perfect sense. Humans have heavy heads, and when balancing, force is applied not to the heel but to the tips of the fingers. More accurately, the crucial part is the 3-5mm of the toe thong that is fitted between the toes in straw sandals. Therefore, when wearing straw sandals, it is correct for the heel to stick out.

Speaking of the toe thong and toes, beach sandals seem to have a similar design, too.

Beach sandals originated from Japan. After the war, American engineers who came to Kobe saw Japanese footwear and made sandals out of rubber. As a result, they are now worn all over the world.

However, although the shape is similar, the essence has not been inherited at all. As I mentioned earlier, they do not consider our body structure, resulting in a sloppy, loud walking posture. After walking for about 2 hours, your feet will start to feel tired.

Unless footwear considers the climate and physical characteristics of the people in a country, I don't believe it can be deemed appropriate for the body.

Were you always interested in the human body, terrain, and culture?

This is something I was taught by my predecessor and has become ingrained in me.

People of the past don't talk much. My father used to say, "Sandals and clogs are different from small accessories in Japanese clothing," but he didn't elaborate. If you can't understand it from this, it probably ends there.

However, I believe the words contain a message saying 'you should be able to understand'. I've come this far, keeping that in mind.

There's an expansive narrative behind the 'JOJO Naitou' products, including your experiences in India, the structure of the human body, and teachings from your predecessor.

I never thought of creating something new from scratch. This small footwear called a sandal is said to have been born in the Heian period, and my theory is that the first creation is invariably the most wonderful. It’s like how there has not been a tea master who surpassed Sen no Rikyu yet.

Footwear has been around since ancient times. What was the first invention like, and what were the inventors thinking? I think it's crucial to humbly learn from there.

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