"CRAFT TOURISM ECHIZEN" Making a well-balanced Japanese paper to wait for the times

Making a well-balanced Japanese paper that waits for the times to become your friend

The Yamada Brothers Paper Company was founded in 1882 (Meiji 15), starting with the sericulture industry and then into the papermaking industry (hosho-suki). When it was incorporated in 1960, it was an integrated production company, as the name suggests, with the older brother making paper and the younger brother doing business inside and outside the prefecture. We also handle manufacturing that requires high technology, and our name recognition has improved. The industry as a whole was booming.

However, after that, as is well known, there were many changes in the tide, such as the period of rapid economic growth, the collapse of the bubble economy, the shift to paperless, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Fukui Earthquake, the Great East Japan Earthquake, environmental problems, and the spread of the corona virus. keeps shaking. Meanwhile, the company is run by the fourth generation, Mr. and Mrs. Akihiro Yamada and Mr. Kyoyo.

"Every time I see a tide, I feel like I'm overcoming it, trying to do as much as I can."

It is the family and employees who are surviving together. Yoshi paper, a flagship product, also went through an uncertain period until the tide turned. Yoshi paper is a non-wood paper certified paper that uses 30% to 100% reed pulp, which is processed into pulp from reeds that grow on riverbeds. It is eco-friendly as it does not use trees and prevents deforestation.

“In around 2000, we received a request to produce reed paper, but the response was not very good. It did not sell well for about five years. However, the number of orders from a wide range of fields increased.Reed paper production is a difficult task that is directly linked to the environmental conservation of the reeds themselves, which have the effect of purifying water, but I think it is meaningful to continue making products.

While waiting for the tide to change, I put up antennas in various directions. Incorporating user feedback into existing products and adding new functionality. Alternatively, we can refine and implement ideas such as brushing up stock paper or reconfiguring scrap paper into new products. Led by Mr. Kyoshiro, who is in charge of product development, it has been distributed as a product of the Japanese paper stationery brand Kyubei.

“The mask case was one of the first things we started with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another strength of our company is that we can respond immediately to customer requests such as ``I wish there was a little more ○○''. I will"

Just as the older brother and younger brother used to have a good balance, now the husband and wife continue to run a good business while making well-balanced products that meet the needs of the times.

Mr. and Mrs. Yamada believe in the possibilities of Japanese paper and continue to make products and products without going against the times. Even now, the two of them talk about whether biomaterials can be used, whether it is possible to collaborate with other industries and fields, and whether it is possible to create something completely different from washi paper. Even if the tide comes again in the future, I can't help but expect that it will change gracefully and continue to the next era.

http://www.yamada-keitei.com/