Category: Blog

160. Fude Matsuri week in Kumano

Hi Everyone,

It is autumn all of a sudden this week.

A four-day weekend began on Saturday. People are now wearing long sleeved shirts. It is not 30℃ anymore. Summer is over.

Autumn is the best of all the seasons in Japan, I think.

—–

In Kumano, Fude Matsuri, the brush festival, has started, but in a different manner this year.

There are events on the zoom you can watch and brush companies will sell brushes at a discount at their web shop.

Outlet types of brushes are usually sold at the market.

——

I chatted with Kihitsu last week and,

I know Kihitsu will sell many of their brushes at 20% discount.

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000&ff=1

Here are some links for makeup brushes.

https://peraichi.com/landing_pages/view/kumanofude-kesyoufude1

https://peraichi.com/landing_pages/view/kumanofude-kesyoufude3

https://peraichi.com/landing_pages/view/kumanofude-premium1

Please let me know if you are interested in buying kihitsu brushes.

I can buy brushes and send them to you.

(cannot be engraved)

I may need to add my fee as I might not have a wholesale contract with some brush makers.

——

I was told that a book called ‘Life Span’ is interesting.

The author defined ‘being old’ as a kind of disease, which can be prevented.

I realized that I do several things suggested in the book.

Short fasting – I don’t eat 15 hours a day. e.g. if my dinner was 7pm, my breakfast would be after 11am. Well, it is lunch.

Exercise – go to a gym every day ( less than one hour though, otherwise I cannot continue)

Have a cold shower for 30 seconds at the end of a long bath – I get to like this habit.

And maybe this is a Japanese thing, but I eat fermented food every day.

Mainly Natto, and

I love Amazake.

I eat yogurt.

I easily get drunk so I stopped drinking completely one year ago.

I got red so easily and have a headache so I thought it easier to stop drinking. This has nothing to do with the previous habits.

And I don’t smoke, either.

Having said those,

I am not addicted to being healthy,

the only things I ‘try’ are:

short exercise,

natto (LOL)

15 hours’ fasting

cold shower

I am not a doctor and not in the position to give you advice.

It is just a routine I do for myself and each person has own way.

——

If you can get natto easily in your country, maybe you can try.

Believe me, you will be used to it, LOL.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

159 Fude Matsuri at Kumano

Hi Everyone,

In this today’s blog, I want to inform you that the annual Fude Matsuri( Festival) will be held in Kumano next week.

There will be some events at the usual site, but brush sale will be done on the web due to the current situation.

https://kumanofude-v-fudematsuri.com/#hudenoichi

I talked to Kihitsu on how it would work for them.

If you get access to the site, they will lead to each brush maker where you can buy brushes at discount.

I am not sure if they send overseas. I guess some do, some don’t.

I want to tell you about the Kihitsu case :

There will be ‘outlet’ brushes that will be sold at 20% discount at the Kihitsu web site.
In addition, there are brushes that were engraved but were cancelled.

Kihitsu coordinate with wedding planners and sell brushes for weddings, where their brushes are gifted to guests.

Guests’ names are engraved in advance, but some guests cancel their participation.
That is how engraved brushes are left in the warehouse.

Most are engraved in Japanese, so maybe you don’t care? Well, I know some of you understand Japanese so it may bother you.

I asked what kinds of brushes were.
He said that those were heart brushes.

I guess those brush hairs are goat/PBT, so many are not interested but FYI.


I went to Isetan today around 6:30 PM, busy time. The food sections was busy, but makeup sections are not.


I visited Shaquda, Laduree and Decorte.

Thank you for reading and I will write more tomorrow!

Toshiya

 

158 Kihitsu and Koyudo, are they the same?

Hi Everyone, 

I sometimes receive questions about Kihitsu who they are, from time to time. 

I want to explain what I know.

Kihitsu has been a sales company for Koyudo since 2004. The president is Nakashima san. 

Koyudo was born in 1979, according to the company web page.

The chairman is Uematsu-san.

Kihitsu doesn’t make brushes or own any factory, but focus on sales. 

Who does make Kihitsu brushes?

  • Koyudo does.

They sell Koyudo brands, as well as own Kihitsu brands. 

For example, Kihitsu has own BP’s and fupa with the Kihitsu logo.

BP’s

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000&scg1001=&scg1002=&scg1004=&scg1005=100051&scg1008=&skwd=&ff=1&x=33&y=22

Fupa’s

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000&scg1001=&scg1002=&scg1004=&scg1005=&scg1008=&skwd=%A5%D5%A1%BC%A5%D1&ff=1&x=0&y=0

Those Kihitsu brands are made by Koyudo, so they have the same quality. 

Prices are sometimes the same, sometimes different.

Kihitsu can take the liberty of setting the prices of Kihitsu products because those brushes are sold as ‘Kihitsu.’

I see some people collect ‘Koyudo Collection’ brushes and prefer Koyudo brands, but the qualities are the same.

——

Now Koyudo discontinued the fupa series and some of BP series. 

Kihitsu has some inventory of own fupa and BP’s.

For example, Kihitsu still has Fupa01. It is the same hair with a dark pink handle.

Fupa14

Some brushes are sold only as Koyudo.

‘Kumamon’ is a Kumamoto symbol, and it is like Kitty chan

(not a comparable with Kitty chan, but in the same manner that it is a protected name by patent law, so the Koyudo name can only printed to a brush, not a Kihitsu logo)

Here are some links you might find interesting.

Grey squirrel

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000&scg1001=&scg1002=&scg1004=100032&scg1005=&scg1008=&skwd=&ff=1&x=39&y=24

Saikoho

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000&scg1001=&scg1002=&scg1004=1022&scg1005=&scg1008=&skwd=&ff=1&x=42&y=24

Kolinsky

http://www.kihitsu.jp/?cn=500000

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

157 Why are Japanese people so indirect ?

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, I posted Holiday collection of SUQQU in November.

There will be another one of SUQQU- skin care from December, with VIALUME, a new skincare product.

Laduree will also have a Holiday collection in December, too.

I bought 2 eyeshadow palettes today – one from Etvos, the other from THREE.

The Etvos one is limited, called Vintage Glitter. 4800 yen

THREE has 3 eyeshadow in August. 7800 yen each. This is No.3.

Both are relatively new brands, emphasizing skin friendly materials.

Shiseido has Snow Beauty 2020. This is 12000 yen with a refill.

Yesterday, I introduced Tamage and Kolinsky brushes of Kihitsu.

Both hairs are in short supply, like Canadian squirrel.

But, I found many calligraphy brushes in Tamage, so maybe there is an old stock.

This is from Rakuten site.

Here is a link for Hakuhodo that explains hair types.

http://en.hakuho-do.co.jp/user_data/learn_material.php

Hakuhodo uses a word ‘Blue squirrel’ instead of ‘Grey squirrel.’

I came across an interesting concept the other day, which explains the communication style of Japanese. 

Have you ever experienced a hard time when communicating with Japanese ?

Japanese are indirect?　Well, it is true that we don’t say yes or no so clearly sometimes.

They are called  ‘High and Low Content cultures.’ by some researchers.

High Content culture is that people have the same experience, background, value etc. so you don’t have to communicate in a detailed level.

They understand ( assume ) what people expect. The Low Content is the opposite. 

Japan is a high context culture, which explains the vagueness of the Japan society very well.

One example is the structure of the Japanese language.

We don’t say what the subject is in a Japanese conversation.

In most of Japanese conversations, we don’t say ‘ I’ or ‘we’ or ‘she’ etc.

We start a sentence with a ‘verb’ not with a subject.

And

We judge or guess who the subject is in the context of a conversation or the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is called ‘air’ between people, and 空気 in Japanese.

When ‘air’ is well guessed, a conversation goes smooth.

I will read more and explain better in the future!

I will read more and write about it in a next blog.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

156 Koyudo BP and Fupa, SUQQU Holiday collection

Hi Everyone, 

I received an order for Kihitsu BP series:

BP039 Tamage -2000 yen

BP017 Pine Squirrel – 5940 yen

Those are made by Koyudo for Kihitsu, which sells them as its own brand.

As you might know, Kihitsu has been a sales company of Koyudo so all the Kihitsu brushes are made by Koyudo.

I keep getting orders for Kihitsu kolisky set – 6111 yen

It is amazing that people find brushes on the web site only in Japanese from all over the world.

Now Koyudo doesn’t make fu-pa.　It is called f- series in synthetic.

I think there are some stock left for the old fupa’s and I am checking.

http://www.koyudo.co.jp/shopbrand/newfupa

BP production is limited to BP001 to BP023. 

http://www.koyudo.co.jp/shopbrand/bpseries

Kihitsu has own versions of BP and fu-pa but not all of them. 

———-

SUQQU holiday collection was posted to instagram.

 

There are an eyeshadow palette, two lipsticks and two blushes. 

Please let me know if you are interested. 

Eyeshadow 10800 yen

Blush 6600

Lipstick 6000 yen

It is November 1, and I will take a reservation from now.

I will introduce 2020 Holiday collections when they come out.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

155 Kihitsu brushes

Hi Everyone,

In July, people complained there was too much rain, now no rain at all in August….

Yesterday, I posted a picture of Body Pierces.

It is not my main product but I buy products based on my clients’ requests.

I will try to get products you like, though Kumano brushes and department items are familiar to me and easier.

Please let me know products that are not related to makeup or brushes but something you can get only in Japan.

If it is Shibuya or Shinjuku, I can go. Ueno is not close, and Narita is far, LOL. I will tell you if it is difficult or takes time.

I was advised by a client of mine that Koyudo sold out an eyeshadow brush in Tamage, BP039.

Kihitsu has some inventory of BP039, so I want to introduce the Kihitsu Tamage eyeshadow.

By the way, Kihitsu sells Koyudo products so their products are made at the Koyudo factories.

It is in Tamage, which is in short supply these days.

She also found a Kolinsky brush set from the Kihitsu online shop.

It is 6111 yen at a sales price.

Please let me know if you are interested.

This sales price 6111 yen is good for kolinsky.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

154 Busy day today

(Shibuya Station)

Hi Everyone,

Today was a busy day.

I made a lot of small trips.

My morning started with exercising at gym.

I don’t spend more than one hour gym, rather I go there every day.

If it is a hard exercise, I will end up with going once or twice a week. Eventually, I don’t get to go to gym at all. So I have decided to make it short and simple. This has been working well for me so far.

Then, I went to a dentist for cleaning teeth after three months. Obviously, two months of lockdown made it difficult to go there.

By the way, we have (too) many dentists in Japan or Tokyo. Therefore, it is a hard industry to survive, and dentists have become so gentle, LOL.

When I was a kid in a small town in Hiroshima, there were very very few dentists so that it was hard to choose a good one or I was not able to choose….

Another hard one is a taxi driver. They are very nice compared to a decade ago.

Anyway, my dentist has a son studying in USA, and I spent time on talking with him about his son. He has just left Japan, so I asked how the airport was.

Empty, he said.

His son is playing golf at university, and I think it very helpful to get him immersed into a different culture. Something in common.

Then I went to body piercing shop in Shinjuku. It was in Alta, in front of Shinjuku Station.

Then I visited Isetan to buy the following products.

IPSA

This liquid foundations is the most popular one, a shop told me.

12000 yen

Celvoke

I asked if one of the eyeshadow palette color is the same as one small eyeshadow.

NARS

Then went to Shibuya SUQQU.

It sounds like many trips I made , but actually with subway it was easy.

From Shibuya to Shinjuku, it takes only 10 minutes.

It is 40C in some places in Japan, and I feel I am in sauna….

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

153 Cheek / Highlight brushes for cream and liquid makeup

Hi Everyone,

It is 40C in some areas in Japan, and it is 35 to 37 C in Tokyo.

People seem to be back to department stores to avoid the heat.

The increasing number of people get corona virus, and with a mask, it is harder to walk outside in the heat.

The other day I was asked which brushes are good for cream or liquid.

One of my clients recommended to use the following brushes.

For Buffing

Bisyodo – ABHC – this is saikoho goat hair.　4400 yen

Hakuhodo – J5521 goat hair, 3600 yen

For tap Use,

Weasle / Kolinsky Or Fox Silver is better

Chikuhodo – RLQ2 Weasel 6800 yen

Chikuhodo – GSN08 Weasel 4500 yen

Takeda – 19LF EX Saikoho 9600 yen

Most of makeup brands now move to brushes with synthetic.

The exception is Kanebo group (SUQQU, RMK, Lunasol, Kanebo ) .

Kumano brushes seem to try to keep the same though hair is in short supply.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

152 Fude Japan brush – 2

Hi Everyone, 


I received many messages to congratulate on my brushes.  Thank you very much!

I want to write the background why I have own products in this blog.


It is normal for business to buy many brushes upfront and sell them till the stock gets zero.  Many retailers do this type of business.

I chose not to do so and I have been doing business of buying and selling products only when requested by clients. This is no-inventory business.

It takes time and I sometimes lose opportunities to sell more as I don’t have a stock.

It is, though, risky to keep an inventory as it puts pressure on cash.  It also takes time to sell all products or it is not unusual to have many products left in the warehouse (well, maybe a warehouse is not needed for brushes)

As a small start-up business, I wanted to begin small, which allows me to fail or try many times. It is not avoidable to fail when we begin business.

Failure is nature of business.

One win, and nine loses. That is a low winning ratio, but it is how business is.


This time, I decided to have my own products. 
My current business is to buy many kinds of products, from brushes to makeup, clothes, chocolate … That has been fun, and I will continue to do so because that service can be unique. 


But it takes time, and the profits are not good for time spent.


I have come to think it important to have ‘my products’ that will support my business in a long run.


I have been thinking about these products:

White Canadian squirrel

Red Canadian squirrel 

Yakusugi handles 

Rare products like P-FO.


I want to sell those products, but the hair is so scarce that I need to wait. 

So,
my brushes are made by Kyureido, which makes some high-end Japanese brands. I trust their qualities, so it is a good start.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

These are pictures of ADDICTION eyeshadows, Decorte face powder in December and Guerlain limited lip cases.

151 Fude Japan brush

Hi Everyone,

It is August and it seems summer has arrived in Japan.

It was 30C today, and I expect it to begin to be hot from this week.

With many rainy days, I hope summer days are not as many as usual.

There will be many limited makeup products in August.

I came to Shibuya to buy SUQQU.

As most of them are limited, I can only buy them a little by little though a shop makes it easy to buy them. I appreciate their flexibility.

SUQQU is a Kanebo company, belonging to the same company as RMK.

SUQQU is one of Japanese brands who are selling in Europe. They are aggressive internationally.

I heard there are some shops in London.

RMK’s director was Rumiko, who moved to Amplitude.

Amplitude is a POLA company, and THREE and Amplitude belong to the same group.

Once Laduree shop person told me that Amplitude skincare must be good as Rumiko is a director.

SUQQU Blush compact

SUQQU eyeshadow 133

After SUQQU, I went to Estee Lauder.

They said that people made a long line to buy SUQQU in the morning.

I was asked if I wanted an Estee Lauder lipstick to be engraved. So I stopped buying them and decided to ask if my clients wanted them to be engraved or not.

It is nice service. Dior has the same service too.

The lip color on the left is called ‘Konkatsu pink.’

They said that some Japanese girls come to buy ‘ I want a konkatsu lip.’

‘Konkatsu’ literally means ‘marriage seeking activity.’ A recently invented word in Japan.

I visited SUQQU at 2:30 PM to avoid a rush, but still it was crowded.

I was asked to sit in a seat where people get a face massage.

It was quiet and private space I enjoyed in center of a busy shop.

I felt good, LOL

Another news is that I started my own brush.

I asked Kyureido to make them.

Kyureido makes SUQQU and some other big brands, so I hope you will like them.

Well, some of you have bought eyeshadows, but this time I have a cheek brush.

In the future, I want a powder brush, but a little step by step.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

150 Makeup products AW2020

Hi Everyone,

I went to Isetan to buy

-Lunasol Isetan Limited

2020 AW Lunasol

-IPSA limited palette collaborated with ‘beautiful people’

Celvoke 2020AW

Dolce & Gabbana ‘Loves Tokyo’ Limited

There are several youtubes talking about these brands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=mpmCFZTUjgw&feature=emb_logo

I managed to buy Lunasol Isetan limited for my clients.

Before I visited Isetan, I called Hankyu Osaka to make sure to get sufficient number of products, but it was sold out..

So I hurried to Shinjuku as I thought I would be able to get a few from Hankyu.

Limited products are tricky as they put the maximum number per product.

It is important to be nice to a shop (or buy many products lol) to have them remember me. Especially a shop manager who can decide.

Regular appearances are important)

I was relieved! It is so hard to tell people I am not able to get it. Most people are understanding, but they make a research, spending time and money.

I usually check with a shop in advance, but sometimes it is sold out more quickly than I expect.

Please email me if you are interested in the limited one, which is shown in the first picture. 7440 yen

This morning, I called Koyudo to ask them to replace a paper box with a wooden one. The brush was mailed with a paper box. My clients let me know about it.

It was 55000 yen saibikoho, and the picture on the Koyudo web page shows that the box is made of paulownia.

So I asked them to exchange a paper box with a paulownia one.

I will not write the detailed conversations but I was able to get paulownia boxes, LOL.

Thanks very much!

Sorry it is a short blog: I wanted to introduce limited products as they are sold out quickly.

Thank you for reading !

Toshiya

149 Foundation brushes (B-FD-01 vs S5557)

Hi Everyone, 


It is summer but still raining. Very rare to have so many rainy days in July.


This is a four day weekend, and I went to Shibuya department stores to visit 

Jill Stuart

ADDICTION 

Shiseido 

CPB


I was surprised to see that there were very few customers at shop,  and shop employees seem to be more friendly than usual)

I am often asked questions in instagram DM and emails.  I try to answer on my own and with information acquired on the web. And I also ask my clients who have bought those products being asked.


This time, I was asked how B-FD-01(Bisyodo) differs from S5557(Hakuhodo). B-FD-01 has Saikoho goat and S5557 has goat/synthe mix. Both are foundation brushes.

https://fudejapan.com/product/b-fd-01foundation/


I asked a client of mine who bought both B-FD-01 and S5557.

Her answer was :
B-FD-01 can be used to all kinds of foundation whereas S5557 are mainly used cream and powder foundation.

B-FD-01 is

Smoother than S5557

Softer than S5557

Easier than S5557


B-FD-01 is used by buffing and S5557 is by short-tapping. 


B-FD-01 is 11000 yen,  S5557 is 11160 yen ( including my fee) 
I hope this helps some of you who consider which foundation brush to buy.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

SUQQU new products are now being reserved.

I found a youtube. It is only in Japanese but you can have a good picutre of those products. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=240&v=F-6FGAqyei0&feature=emb_logo

So far, I have received most orders for Limited Blush compact.


Thank you for reading !

Toshiya

148 Bunshindo Brushes

Hi Everyone,

I have posted to instagram some pictures of Bunshindo brushes these days.

I have more information :

please see.

200617_化粧筆リストDownload

They have three kinds of kolinsky.

Cantor 100,000 yen

lip 13,000 yen

eyeliner 7000 yen.

Bunshindo is Kawajiri Brush, which is located next to Kumano. Kawajiri has Koyomo brushes, too. Both Kumano and Kawajiri are located in the middle of Hiroshima prefecture.

By the way, Japan has 47 prefectures, the biggest of which is Tokyo. The second is Kanagawa that has Yokohama. Hiroshima Prefecture has only 2.8 million people, which ranks the 12th. So there are many local (small ) prefectures and small cities. Or you can say that Tokyo is too big for local people.

Bunshindo has Kolinsky hair that was bought 30 years ago. It has been kept well for long, which is good for brush. 

In Japanese, 古 means ‘old,’ and is pronounced as ‘Ko.’ You may have realized that Koyomo is 古(Ko)羊毛(Yomo) (Yomo means old goat hair)

Now they use it as a brand name.

The Bunshindo web page ranks goat hair as follows:
古細微光鋒 (Ko Saibikoho)

古細光鋒 (Ko Saikoho)

古粗光鋒 (Ko Sokoho)


There are 2 more hair ranking higher than these hairs.


All have a kanji 古 (means old) so it is old hair that is softer and more expensive.


I found the Bunshindo youtube too.
https://bunshindou.com/store/products/list?category_id=11&orderby=2

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

147: New and Limited Products ②

Hi Everyone,

It is raining again in Tokyo. Looks like it is every day.

Today I want to introduce a product from Bunshindo.

It is Kolinsky, from 30 years ago. They use Kolinsky and Saibikoho mainly for calligraphy and painting brushes.

(Koyomo has goat hair of 30 years ago too)

Bunshindo is located in Kawajiri, the same as Koyomo is.

Kawajiri (a part of Kure City ) and Kumano are next to each other.

It is 5 hours away by super express from Tokyo, and located between Fukuoka and Osaka.

A little explanation about Hiroshima for those new to this area.

Hiroshima population is concentrated on the shore. Hiroshima is the largest city in the prefecture and Fukuyama is the second.

Kumano and Kawajiri are a little south of Hiroshima City so you can cover the area for one or two days.

The northern part has lots of nature and if you visit second time, I recommend you to go to the northern part – you can ski, well not as good as Hokkaido, but good for repeaters.

These are Bunshindo Kolinsky.

This is the first time to buy Bunshindo as it focues on calligraphy and painting.

Other products I want to mention : these are white squirrel cheek brushes only in red handle now.

21000 yen

This is Laduree September.

ADDICTION Fall – ADDICTION will renew their eyeshadows.

Thank you for reading,

I will write more tomorrow.

Toshiya

No. 146 Limited and new products ①

Hi Everyone,

It is raining very hard now in Japan, and especially Kyushu, southern part of Japan, has been hit by heavy rain and many people are in trouble.

The corona virus situation makes it harder.

Japan summer usually has lots of rain in June and typhoon in August. This summer it seems worse with more earthquakes (small ones) than usual.

Kumamoto situation is really bad.

——–

Today I want to introduce new or limited products that I was asked many questions about.

Chikuhodo introduces new series – Kazan squirrel.

Chikuhodo told me :

#Kazan squirrel’s hair is waved and it feels airy at top of hair.

It is more resilient than grey squirrel, and less resilient than goat/squirrel.

It is more rare than grey squirrel, so it gets more expensive.”

Please let me know your feedback after you use them.

Koyudo/Kihitsu Echizen lacquerware with grey squirrel

18000 yen

Saibikoho Koyudo 88000 yen

NARS Zen Collection

6960 yen

Dior Color Games

Dior Cushion Foundation with a limited case

Thank you for reading,

I will write more tomorrow.

Toshiya

145 :The first British who came to Japan 400 years ago

(The picture is SUQQU Designing Eyes 133)

Hi Everyone, 

I have once asked a Hakuhodo shop manager what was the best about Hakuhodo brushes ?

Her answer was:

‘The best thing is that we don’t have to spend much time on makeup.

People are busy in the morning. ‘

If you can be ready, not spending long on makeup, it will make life easy.

That was what she liked about Hakuhodo most.

People have many reasons to buy Kumano brushes, and I wonder if this is a common idea.

I feel people buy or choose a brush based on a type of hair, type of handle, being rare(limited), a brand, etc.

What do you think ?


I often write about a history of Japanese culture.

With internet on hand, it is so easy to check history of the areas I am interested in.


The other day, I came across the first Samurai from Europe. He was a British. His name was William Adams. He came to Japan in 1600, the year when Edo period began.


After the one-year and 10 months on the ship, he landed Kyushu, near Fukuoka.

He met Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Shogun of Edo, and was hired as a consultant on Foreign Affairs. 


He was then named Miura Anjin after a seaport near Hakone, got married to a Japanese women and had two children. 

It was the end of the Warrior Period, and Ieyasu Tokugawa must have thought Miura Anjin could bring a new technology to a war.

Ieyasu liked him very much, and gave Anjin land near Yokohama and Anjin became a Daimyo, a feudal lord.  He built ships and traveled to China and Thailand.

He died in 1620, and in 1639 Japan closed the country to the world which lasted till 1854.

He may not have been able to land in Japan if it was later in the century.

In the 16th century, many missionaries came to Japan from Portugal and Spain. Those are times Japanese met Western people.

And the first African, who came with a missionary, became a disciple of Nobunaga Oda, maybe the most talent warrior at that time.

Anjin was the first Samurai and Daimyo, who came from abroad, so he is remembered well among Japanese.

In fact, there is a Ryokan (Japanese type of hotel called Anjin) in Izu and Anjin festival.

Maybe next time you come to Japan and enjoy Onsen, you may be thinking as if you are the first foreign Daimyo.

(Anjin Festival)

I am taking an order for SUQQU August: please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

I googled Kumano brush

Hi Everyone,

I went to Shinjuku and bought one soap of Takeda. Takeda has a shop at department store as Hakuhodo has.

Hakuhodo is a brand which invests most on retail shops.

There are many makeup brush companies in a small town in Hiroshima, so the competition must be hard. One company sells new hair and others follow.

Chikuhodo began to sell silver fox first. Now Koyudo and Takeda does it as well.

These are Takeda Silver fox.

Silver fox is soft like grey squirrel but resilient as goat.

I have sold Chikuhodo Silver Fox and the feedback has been good so far.

I was told that the process of cleaning Silver fox hair takes time.

Maybe that is one reason that it is expensive.

I visit many makeup shops, and ask if they know makeup brushes.

They often know Hakuhodo, but the others are not known by shop employees much.

I feel there are more fans of Kumano brushes outside Japan. In fact, my instagram is followed more by foreigners.

So I checked Kumano brushes on the web.

I checked Rakuten Market by Kumanofude. Here are brushes by good reviews. (Rakuten is the biggest online shop in Japan, along with Amazon)

https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/%E7%86%8A%E9%87%8E%E7%AD%86/?s=6

熊野筆　is kumanofude, if you want to google it.

You see many companies: they look like products provided big Kumano brush companies and are sold as own brands.

While I take orders every day, I receive a question daily about brushes and makeup, and it may be interesting to write about it.

Today, I was asked how AB-HC of Bisyodo is compared with J210 Hakuhodo.

Both are goat, and Bisyodo officially says it is Saikoho. I don’t think Hakuhodo has Saikoho now. They just say ‘goat.’ Maybe at Hakuhodo, Saikoho is mixed with other kinds. And they don’t say Saikoho unless it is 100%.

Here is feedback from a client who uses both.

“AB-HC is more fluffy than J210.
J210 is a little bit softer than AB-HC.
AB-HC can be used more than J210 to parts of face”

Your question is welcome and I will look into it and will share it in my blog if you don’t mind.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Fude Japan cheek brush

(the picture is ADDICTION cheek polish)

Hi Everyone, 


I began to go to a sports gym where we need to wear a mask and have our temperature measured at the entrance. 

I wonder this type of arrangement will be permanent under this circumstance.


With a mask, I feel I consume more calories, though.


Now restaurants and shops open and operate as usual. It seems that people go out at night as well….

There are still very few tourists in Tokyo.
Have you ever been to a quick sushi place?


It is an automated sushi where sushi is carried by a belt conveyor. It is called ‘Kaiten Sushi.’ ‘Kaiten’ means revolving and it is usually a belt conveyor.

Maybe you have been there if you travel to Japan.


One plate usually costs 100 to 200 yen (1 to 2 USD) with 2 nigiri sushi, and I find it very convenient when I am hungry and I don’t have time. 

The first Kaiten sushi was opened in 1958 in Osaka, by a person called Shiraishi san. Shiraishi saw a belt conveyor in a beer factory and thought it could help busy employees.


He created a place to eat sushi standing in 1947, and changed it to a belt conveyor style in 1958.

Sushi is regarded expensive food on a special occasion e.g family dinner.
So fast food style and sushi waas not a good match, but apparently Kaiten Sushi makes a niche ( or a big ) market now.


There is an ideal speed of a conveyor for a customer to think and decide to take a plate. It is 0.14km/hour, well I don’t know how fast it is…


The sushi place is called ‘Genroku Sushi.’ and now it is VERY big.

This is a good example to create an idea. An idea doesn’t have to be innovative. A good idea is born when you combine exisiting ideas from different industries or fields.

Shiraishi combined sushi with a belt conveyor.

I guess that is what I need to do – combine existing ideas.

I am not able to create completely new brushes as famous makeup artists do. I need to hear what clients say and add those elements to current products.

This is one small step I make now – I will add a cheek brush to Fude Japan.

It will be made by Kyureido, with grey squirrel.

I will let you know when I begin to sell them.

These brushes will consist of

Cheek

Eyeshadow L

Eyeshadow M

Eyeshadow S

I will keep you updated,

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Isetan Limited in June- RMK and Laduree

Hi Everyone, 


Tsuyu (rainy season in Japan) has not come to Tokyo yet, but it is raining every day.  I wonder which is better,  33C sunny & humid day or rainy day.
In July and August, Japan has very little rain except for Typhoon. 

This summer will be even more difficulty as people wear a mask.

I have been to Isetan a lot these days.  They provide good service, and they have many limited products to Isetan.

(Isetan and Hankyu have many own limited products. )

Besides, fewer people are shopping at Isetan than before, and I can buy products quickly and comfortably.


This is Isetan limited RMK products – Ukiyoe Modern. 


Ukiyoe is painting that was very popular during Edo Period (1603-1867). It is made from woodblock prints, so that it was easy to copy the original. 
People were able to buy them at a reasonable price, and it became popular among people.

(This is a painting by Utamaro)

These are Laduree limited.

Lasting Pressed Powder 4800 yen

Glittering Eye Color 3000 yen

Pressed Cheek N Mini 3600 yen

Please let me know if you are interested in these limited products.

I had  a call from Laduree shop manager, who will be on her maternity leave.


That was nice of her, and maybe only second or third time to get a call from shop outside business.

Only one company called me after the ‘stayhome.’ It was Mikimoto, and it really impressed me )

———

EMS is not still working.
I am talking to DHL and FedEX now. I will try using DHL this week!


Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

How much does a Japanese single pay for a pet?

Hi Everyone, 


I visited Isetan yesterday. 


It looks like I visit Isetan almost daily, LOL.


Istan Shinjuku is the No.1 department store in the women fashion.  Maybe No.1 department store all round in Japan. 


Hankyu Umeda has a good reputation but I haven’t been there.  Umeda is in Osaka, and it takes almost 3 hours by super express.

I have read that Isetan and Hankyu had the best service. I wrote as the past tense, as some people say it is not true anymore.  I can stil see a different between Isetan and others. Isetan employees seem to know products well. They also move and reply quickly.

There are always some exhibits at stairs like this:

(at Isetan stairs)


I had an interesting chat with a shop manager of makeup company.


He is 188cm tall and good looking so he stands out at the makeup floor. He says his father is a Spanish with 2m tall, and that is how he becomes tall.  His mother is Japanese.


What he is good at is that he sees me as someone who buys on behalf of others and  doesn’t talk a lot about makeup, LOL. 


Topics of yesterday was a dog. 


He said, ‘he has three dogs.’ Bulldog, Irish Setter and Chihuahua.
Very rarely  I see an English bulldog in Japan so I asked how much he paid.
He said ‘840,000 yen!’ (8000 USD)

I joked to him how good the company paid but still….

He says that he is single and that he doesn’t spend much money on anything else so it was not a difficult decision. 

Those dogs with a different shape of mouth need special treatment – French bull, Pug, Bulldog, etc. So he needs to spend more time than on other dogs, but he looks happy)

Hakuhodo has a plastic cover on each brush now so that customers cannot try them now.

Here are new sets :

Please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

Shaquda Daily cleaner

Hi Everyone, 


It seems that life in Tokyo goes back normal.
I can see commuting trains are not as crowded as before.  When I take a subway at 7pm, which is usually packed, there is a big space between people. 


All the department stores are now open. 
I went to Isetan to buy Dolce & Gabbana.  Though it was crowded, I saw a half as many people as usual. 


———————-

Japanese ‘lockdown’ has not been as strict as those of some other countries. 
It still remains to be answered how Japan recovered, but I can tell wherever I go, people wear a mask.  Almost 100%. 


One thing I can say is that people usually wear a mask to prevent themselves from being infected by influenza in winter.  People make it routine to wear a mask. 

Some women wear a mask when they don’t do makeup.

You can say mask has been a Japanese culture before the corona virus , and now there are more and more fashionable ones.

I have received orders for SHAQUDA brush cleaner. 
I asked a client of mine why she liked, and here is her reply. 

‘The cleaner is has a lovey fresh fragrance. I spray my brushes after use and wipe them on a micro fibre towel (actually I use the artis ones). It doesn’t get the foundation brushes as clean as a wash does of course but it’s enough to keep them in good condition in between washes. I particularly like it on my natural hair brushes I don’t think I’ve tried it on a synthetic brush. I am very happy with it.’

Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you used Hakuhodo soap or Koyudo cleaner, please let me know.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

The State of Emergency was lifted in Japan

Hi Everyone,

Chikuhodo released new brushes.

One is T11, Liquid (6200 YEN) and the other is T12 (2200 YEN) eyeshadow.

Both are Takumi series with saikoho goat hair.

Please let me know if you are interested.


‘Loose’ lockdown worked in Japan.

Shops, department stores, gyms, museums, etc will open gradually.

People are wondering why it worked, but I haven’t heard any convincing theories except

Social pressure.

Social pressure or people’s desire to be the same may be unique to Japan.
Japanese people are sensitive to social pressure, and many Japanese try not to stand out.

Yet,

Social pressure is mostly discussed negatively in japan as it keeps people from being different or creative.

School encourages kids to be creative, but not many of them want to be different.

Japanese are good at being efficient while we are not as creative as people in some other countries.

Personally, I am not a big fan of the pressure to be the same, but some people like it.

I cannot say this is good or bad, since I have seen both good and bad sides.

For example,

in this corona situation, this culture works better.

I cannot go out without a mask.

99% of people wear a mask on the street.

When I forget wearing a mask, I go home to get it.

There is a joke.

A person felt hot with a mask, so he pulled it off.
Someone walking toward him suggested him to wear a mask, but this person was not wearing a mask….

Well, this is a joke, but this is kind of pressure that makes people wear a mask.

Anyway,
Now life gets back to normal.

The EMS situation remains the same as in April.

Please wait a little and I will let you know when it gets better,

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Social distance is a social pressure in Japan

Hi Everyone,

I walked more than 10km yesterday. It was the longest way during the stay-home.

I use iPhone to check how far I walk and it is more than 5km a day on average this week.

It is not much fun to walk (LOL) but hearing youtube makes it easy to carry out.

As I said before, ‘lockdown’ in Japan is not ‘strict.’ There are some shops that are open, and I even see Izakaya with a few people inside.

Yet, I see 99.9 % wear masks. I sometimes forget to wear a mask in which case I go back home to get it. I haven’t been told by anyone to wear it, but I feel some kind of pressure on the street…..

Maybe ‘Japan lockdown’ is working…

I noticed another thing when walking.

Poodle is the most popular pet.

Maybe the next is Shiba dog or Chihuahua.

And yes people wear masks. It was 100% yesterday.

If I was at a small town, people would ask (tell) me to wear a mask.

In Tokyo, though, people have a distance with others and only ‘say it inside.’

In a rural town, people are considered a part of community, and they actually ‘say’ it. It is like a family member.

This is good and bad.

I had been raised for 18 years in a small town till I came to Tokyo for a university.

I remember my mother was telling me that she went to several hairdressers in the neighbor in turn.

There were three or four hairdressers, and as she ran a stationery shop, she wanted those hairdressers to think she was fair in choosing a hairdresser.

Living in a small time makes you feel you are a part of the community, but you worry things that you don’t have to in a big city.

Some people like being a part of community, and others like being on their own.

To me, living in Tokyo or in a small town in Hiroshima is completely different.

It is like a foreign country to each other.

Here are things I purchased.

Some of them cannot be sent now so I will keep them.

Here is a list of countries EMS cannot be mailed to.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2020/0423_01_en.html

Thank you for reading.

Toshiya

Popular make-ups sometimes come back.

Hi Everyone,

We had a summer-like day today, and Tokyo had only five new corona cases and Osaka had zero.

Many cities’ life was back to normal though the lifestyle has been changing.

This week, Nayoya Takashimaya will be back to normal operation where I can buy Hakuhodo and makeup products – not all brans but getting close to normal.

Mailing situation remains the same – no EMS to USA, Russia, Australia and most of EU countries. I really hope it will recover soon!

Sorry – please wait a little more till you receive brushes and make-ups.

I was informed by a client of mine that Celvoke was selling old limited eyeshadows.

I have also seen a Chicca eyeshadow 06 Neo Sepia, which was sold one year ago. I was asked by some clients to buy it when it was on sale again.

I was going to ask my clients but it was sold out within one day…

So quick..

But this is interesting because I know some of you are interested in old limited producuts.


Sorry it is a short blog this time.

I will write more next time!

Thank you,

Toshiya

What am I thinking during ‘stay home’ ?

Hi Everyone,

I talked to Chikuhodo.

They still have 2018 Noel. Please let me know if you are interested.

It is Rouge and Rose.

(Rouge 34800 Rose 15000 yen)

It is 30C in Tokyo and maybe people stay home more.

During this ‘stay-home,’ I walk a lot. Day and night.

When I walk, many ideas come up to me. Walking is good for a brain)

I remember lots of memories from my boyhood time with my grandmother.

And my memory related to my grandmother is pleasant.

She took me to many places because my mother was running a stationery shop all day every day.

I was raised at a small town in Hiroshima.

My favorite place was an ‘Okonomiyaki’ restaurant.

At the small okonomi place, there were no people eating – only me, my sister and grandmother.

I wonder how they ran a restaurant. My grandmother was living on her small pension, and did not spend much. Maybe this Okonomiyaki was big for her.

I remember one thing about my grandmother very clearly.

Totally unrelated to Okonomi.

She loved professional wrestling!

It was at 8pm on TV on Saturday night.

Yes, professional wrestling was on air during the Golden Hour.

As you might know, in professional wrestling, there are a good guy and bad guy.

There was a bad guy called ‘Abdullah the Butcher.’ Well, he said he was from Sudan, but he was from USA. I have recently checked it on the web)

A good guy was Giant Baba from Niigata with 2m tall.

I was watching it maybe in a diferrent way than other kids did.

Kids talked about who was the strongest.

They said Baba was not so strong.

I said, ‘it is not the point.’ It is entertainment. I learned a lot about people’s relation from it.

But they were not interested in my argument, LOL.

Now I have someone in my office. I joke with him, and he comes back with a serious opinion, which seems to be not to the point.

I just want to have a fun conversation, not a serious discussion.

Not that I was wrong or that he was right.

It is supposed to be fun, that is it.

Gradually,

I don’t get to talk much to him.

So, professional wrestling.

Maybe Butcher was stronger, but he did not win.

He used a weapon in the end and the matches usually ended up with his loss from a disqualification using a weapon.

My friends said that Baba was not so strong. Butcher was stronger.

Again, it was not the point.

I like this story. I read a blog about a wrestling later.

Someone who went to wrestling saw Baba and Butcher playing baseball before a match!

They were actually good friends, but on TV it was different. They were enemies.

Some people pretend to lose though they actually ‘win’ because they know it makes the relation better or people happy.

Butcher and Baba : they are good at people!

If I try to entertain someone by a joke and he or she comes back with pointing out that I am wrong or a small point, I will not discuss a matter seriously when time comes.

It may be only me, but

It is the air or space where I enjoy and want to joke with people. I also enjoy the air or space where I want to discuss seriously. But they are different times and places.

My boyhood memory :

Butcher and Baba were my teachers.

I still pay a respect to them.

They show me a good example.

Baba died 20 years, and Butcher retired at the Sumo Arena in Tokyo in front of a full-house crowd.

Butcher said, ‘ I enjoyed a lot talking with Baba over cigar.’

I don’t watch wrestling any more, but this memory comes back from time to time.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

What are brushes other than Kumano brushes?

Hi Everyone,

I received a question regarding whether Bisyodo belongs to Kumano brushes.

The answer was that Bisyodo is not a Kumano brush member.

Bisyodo is located in Osaka, and not a member of Kumano Fude Union.

Bisyodo has been providing hair to brush makers, and they have a good quality, but not a Kumano Brush.

And I thought it good to write brush towns other than Kumano.

Kumano brushes account for 80% of production in Japan. So others are small.

But others have a history as well. I came up with two names.

One is Toyohashi, near Nagoya, and the the other is Kawajiri, Hiroshima.

Kawajiri is a small town next to Kumano, and you may know that Koyomo is one of the Kawajiri brushes.

Most of Kawajiri brushes seem to focus on calligraphy brush.

But, I found one making makeup brushes – Bunshindo.

Bunshindo has these makeup brushes made from Kolinsky.


I will check more on Bunshindo if you are interested. It may be interesting to know more about small players.

I will search more on Toyohashi brushes next time.

I was requested if I can take a video of brush making.

I am far from Hiroshima now and this is a youtube on brush making. He is making a calligraphy brushes, and there are more than 100 processes.

Updates on Japan are:

‘Stay Home’ is still placed in Japan, but it seems local cities with few corono virus patients will be back to normal life gradually.

EMS is not working between Japan and USA, Russia, Austraria and most of EU nations.

If it is a limited brush or product, please let me know.

I will buy and hold it till mails begin to work.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

What are the most popular products for Hakuhodo?

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I wrote about popular kumano brushes.

There are many from Hakuhodo, so I am writing them separately here.

FYI, to be declared as a Kumano brush, a brush company needs to be a member of the Brush Union. Hakuhodo is not its member.

Technically, Hakuhodo is not a kumano brush, though it is located in Kumano.

Hakuhodo makes many limited sets : 2 or 3 sets per shop a month.https://en.hakuho-do.co.jp/user_data/stores_index.php

They have a shop in LA and Singapore too.

In Japan, sales people at each store create a set on their own.

Usually, the brush heads from the current products with a handle color.

What is good about a set is that a pouch or case comes free.

(Hakuhodo pouches around 1500 yen)

https://www.hakuho-do.co.jp/products/list88.html

Hakuhodo people don’t work on a commision so they are not so aggressive. You usually see a mildly-speaking employee there.

Their English is good enough to explain what a brush is like. And you can try as many brushes as you like at shop.

Here are brushes that have been sold :

Hakuhodo are sold at department stores and all of them are closed.

They will open again once the ‘stayhome’ is released.

It looks like local cities will be back to normal earlier than Tokyo.

I will keep you updated.

Thank you for reading,

Toshiya

Which products have been sold most by Fude Japan ?

Hi Everyone,

Japanese Government decided to extend the ‘stayhome’ to the 31st of May.

They will revisit the timeline on the 14th. So the period may be shortened.

I  have received orders for items sold at department stores, such as SUQQU, THREE, D&G, Lunasol, etc.

I will try and buy them as early as possible.

Sorry to keep you waiting!

I wrote about crowdfunding as a method to have rare products produced.

I checked which products have been bought most, whether limited or regular. The following order is ranking by amount, so more sets, powder and cheek brushes than eyeshadow brushes.

  • Z4

Chikuhodo Z-4 Cheek/Highlight Brush

  • B-FD-01

Bisyodo B-FD-01 Foundation Brush

  • Z1

Chikuhodo Z-1 Powder Brush

  • Fox set

Chikuhodo Silver Fox 5 Brush Set with Pouch

  • KK002

Kyureido KK-002 Cheek Brush

  • White Canadian squirrel face M -currently out of stock

#Kihitsu #Koyudo white Canadian squirrel Face M 36000 yen

  • Kiwami set – sold out

  • FO-1

Chikuhodo Silver Fox FO-1 powder

  • White Canadian squirrel cheek Koyudo (only in red available now)

Kihitsu White Canadian Squirrel Cheek Brush Red Makie

  • Z8

Chikuhodo Z8 Cheek Brush

  • RC-2

Chikuhodo RC-2 Blush Brush

  • 2016 Noel

  • P-8

Chikuhodo P8 Powder brush

  • P-FO -sold out

Breathtakingly gorgeous Chikuhodo limited-edition silver fox P-FO Brush (Round 47mm)#chikuhodo #竹宝堂 #TesshyuTakemori #PFO #silverfox #筆司鉄舟 #新感覚 #業界初 #シルバーフォックス #灰リスに匹敵 #50本限定発売 #limitededition #50only #fude #handmade #madeinjapan #japan #japaneseart #ccsbrush #personalized #diptyque #diptyquecandle #candleholder #photophore #collection34 #origami #Anamorphée @fudejapan

  • Kihitsu Green set – sold out

Kihitsu Green Saikoho Set 5

  • 2017 Noel set – sold out

#chikuhodo Noel 38100 Yen

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

Carp red brush (MK-KO) – why Carp design?

Hi Everyone,

I received several feedback on MK-KO powder brush.

Thank you.

Some people were interested in the background of the Carp design so I want to write a bit about the history.

Hiroshima Carp Baseball club was born in 1950, five years after the war ended.

At the time, Japan had a professional baseball league. Most popular are the Giants in Tokyo, and the Tigers in Osaka. It is similar to the rivalry between NY and Boston.

Hiroshima Carp.

A week team in a small city.

They were not able to pay even train tickets to Tokyo.

At that time, no super express Shinkansen that takes only four hours now. They took a train all night.

The team was in financial difficulty from the beginning. So, Manager, Coaches and players collected money by visiting many towns in Hiroshima.

It is like crowdfunding.

I remember reading one story.

When the team was taking a train to Tokyo, an old lady came to see off the team and gave the manager ‘Onigiri.’ I think his name was Shiraishi.

Onigiri is a rice ball, a typical home made dishes in Japan.

The train left the Hiroshima Station, but Shiraishi-san could not eat it. His tears didn’t stop.

It was 1950.

The Carp was a hope of the city or Hiroshima Prefecture, which was trying to recover from the war damage.

People donated money though they still suffered from poverty.

The Carp would not have survived without the donation. That is why the Carp is called the team of the citizens.

Yet it took 25 years till they won the league.

Even now, the Hiroshima Carp is struggling because good players choose to leave for big city clubs, e.g. Giants in Tokyo, and Tigers in Osaka.

But in a way, they are spoiled. As far as they are playing in Hiroshima and don’t leave the town, they don’t have to win. Fans are happy with the team.

Very different from Tokyo Giants or New York Yankees who ‘must’ win.

Things changed when the new stadium was built.

For last several years, the Carp attendance has been more than 2 million. This is huge, considering the size of the city –  a little more than 1 million.

(this is a home of the Carp)

(This is at a play-off at Osaka, the number of Carp fans is increasing)

People buy Carp goods in red,

Every game is sold out, so that they can pay good money to players.

They won three years in a row!

The morning in Hiroshima starts with a conversation ‘how was the Carp last night?’

So it is easy for me to speak to Kumano brush companies.

A little talk about the Carp makes business easy.

I have to confess, though, I was a Tokyo Giants fan when I was a kid, LOL.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya

(this is a product by the MK-KO designer)

 

 

Chikuhodo new makie brush – MK-KO (Carp red handle)

Hi Everyone,

It is Golden Week in Japan, and most of people are not working.

It is also in the middle of ‘stay home’ period, so maybe it is not very different from April. Ths Golden Week will be quiet.

‘Stayhome’ request seems to get longer till the end of May.

I see people frustrated  nowadays.  Economically, restaurant and travel industries are deep in trouble, and some companies began to go bankrupt.

If it gets long, more companies go broke, so this decision is now very difficult to make about when to stop the ‘stayhome.’

As for Kumano brushes, they still make brushes. Currently, they are on holidays till May 6 – Golden Week holidays.

My client informed me that Chikuhodo released a new brush today.

It is called MK-KO. Makie handle with squirrel hair. It is a powder brush.

KO stands for Koi 鯉. It is Carp, and Carp is a symbol of Hiroshima.

I took a look at this

https://www.chikuhodo.com/product/cate_powder.html

And MK-KO looks similar to MK-2 or Z9.

Here is a link to online shop.

Chikuhodo MK-KO Powder Brush (Koi Carp/Grey Squirrel)

(This is Mazda Stadium, home of Hiroshima Carp)

Why Carp?

Some say that Hiroshima Castle was built in the 17th century, and that there were many Carp around it.  We call it a Carp Castle.

After the war, a professional baseball team was born. It was named ‘Hiroshima Carp.’

Their team color is red, and Hiroshima became a town in red, well, you see Carp uniform everywhere.

This MK-KO has Carp design with a red handle. Chikuhodo created this brush in Carp red, I imagine.

The handle was designed by

https://www.instagram.com/kiyan_stuzio/

Funny thing was that there was a baseball All-Star game in Hiroshima, and I was watching it on TV. Koyudo Chairman was there!

So next day I called them, and it was him)

Houkodou had a brush in Carp red, so you see Carp red everywhere…

Born and raised in Hiroshima, I am also a Carp fan, pretty avid, actually.

I will talk more about it in next newsletter.

Thank you for reading!

Toshiya