Japan's Himeji city uphold tradition of leather production

The castle town of Himeji in Japan still continues to uphold its 1,000-year-old traditional leather industry.

The town is famous for Himeji Castle, also known as Egret Castle, which has a history of 400 years and has been designated as the first landmark in Japan to become a World Cultural Heritage.

The leather industry has grown big in past, with the beginning of cattle ranching in the scenic region, and also because of the production of good quality salt and clean rivers in the nearby areas.

In an statement, President of Sansho Co. Ltd, Shinya Fukumoto talked about the growth of the industry and factors responsible for the good production.

 

"The leather industry grew up around the castle town of Himeji about 1000 years ago. Our production starts from the stage where tanning is finished in this factory here. Here we let the leather dry naturally with the weather. The speed of drying and drying process is different and dependent on weather conditions," he said.

He added, "We find it is very important to be able to manage the everyday operations with just our hands."

The industry also employs thousands of Vietnamese workers who have adopted traditional leather production skills.

Praising their role in the quality production, Fukumoto said, "About 30 years ago, we began hiring Vietnamese. They are very diligent workers and, I must say, we think in a similar fashion. Today they make up over half of our employees."

The Vietnamese workers also enjoy working in the traditional industry considering the smooth communication due to the large number of Vietnamese.

"I have been working here for quite a long time. The work is enjoyable, and since there are many Vietnamese working here, communication is very good. The president of the company is a kind man, and I would find it difficult to ever leave the company easily," said Pham Tang Huu, Vietnamese Staff at Sansho Co. Ltd.

The company has also started online business and has opened showroom for the display of products.

"We started our internet business five years ago. For there are so many customers who want to see our leather skins, so we created this show room so that our customers can see our products easily," said Fukumoto, talking about how the technology and overseas employees are enlarging their market worldwide.