Saegusa of Ginza Co., Ltd. is a total producer of children's lifestyles, focusing on the sale of carefully selected baby and children's clothing. This time, we spoke to Ryo Saegusa, President and Representative Director.
Started as a Chinese goods store 150 years ago


SAYEGUSA Ginza store facade
SAYEGUSA, which has stores in Ginza 4-chome, Tokyo, and Umeda, Osaka, is a select shop that stocks high-quality children's clothing, from original products to imported European brands. This year marks the 1869th anniversary since our founding in 2 (Meiji 150), but we started out as a Chinese goods store. What kind of products did they sell?
``The founding year of 1869 was the year after the Meiji Restoration, and it was around the time when goods officially began to enter from overseas through Yokohama Port.At that time, people with their topknots tied and swords pointing were still walking around. It seems that the imported goods that we carried in those days were very diverse. San and Maruzen were both companies that started out as Chinese goods stores, but each specialized in food and books, and our company turned into a commercial business with a particular emphasis on wool and Western clothing.


Entire 2nd floor (left photo) Entire 3rd floor (right photo)
Strengthened children's clothing at the beginning of the Meiji era
In the early Meiji period, imported goods were transported from Yokohama Port by sea or river, so the founder chose the foreign settlement of Tsukiji, which had good water transportation, as the location for the company's founding. After that, it expanded to Ginza in 1875 (Meiji XNUMX). At the end of the Meiji era, the main products had changed from wool to women's and children's clothing and Western clothing, but at the beginning of the Showa era, under the second generation, the company strengthened its children's clothing business.
``The second generation focused on the ease of movement of jersey material, and thought that it would be easy for children to move around in.In 7, we used 100% wool jersey material for children's clothing for the first time, and sold the smock dress that became synonymous with Saegusa. I heard that's how they started making children's clothing their main business."
SAYEGUSA GREEN PROJECT ~Delivering a rich earth to children~


GREEN MAGIC (Camp)
Ginza's Saegusa has been proposing clothing culture to Japanese children since 2012, but recently, with the aim of becoming a more social and sustainable company, they are also planning projects that will help children grow. . One of these is the environmental and social activity "SAYEGUSA GREEN PROJECT," which was started in XNUMX when the current president was appointed.
“Specific activities include the nature experience camp program “GREEN MAGIC” for children, holding workshops, switching to renewable energy, and disseminating information on the website. “GREEN MAGIC” I started this project because, through my daily interactions with children through children's clothing, I realized that children living in urban areas lacked experience in nature, so I wanted to create a place where they could experience playing in nature. , we started holding camping events four times a year.As we were looking for a campsite, we met the people of Kotaki, Sakae Village, the northernmost village in Nagano Prefecture, and over the course of our repeated visits, we formed new bonds. The project has also been successful.”
Rebranding of Otaki rice


image:Kotaki White Gift Bottle
The new project that was born out of “GREEN MAGIC” is a business that produces and sells Koshihikari “Otaki Rice”, a specialty of Sakaemura Otaki. When Saegusa was looking for a campsite in 2014, he came across Sakaemura Kotaki, a rice field that had miraculously made a comeback after being 7% destroyed in the northern Nagano Prefecture earthquake. Mr. Saegusa sympathized with the attitude of the people of the village, who despite the harsh conditions, cheerfully and diligently carried out reconstruction activities with an eye to the future 300 years from now, and decided to work on branding Otaki Rice. In 2015, Kotaki rice was sold in wine bottles under the name "Kotaki White."
``Otaki is a small village with only 13 households and 35 people, but it has the scenery of a Japanese satoyama, with the clear stream of the Chikuma River, rice terraces, and private houses. If we provide support and the economy improves, we will be able to preserve the Japanese landscape of satoyama, and this will lead to preserving a place for children to learn.If the number of people interacting with the area increases and the area becomes more vibrant, it will also help prevent depopulation. That's why I started a new business division and became involved with Otaki Rice."
Ministry of the Environment Good Life Award


Panoramic view of the small waterfall
Last year, the sales business of Kotaki rice, ``Kotaki White,'' which was started through Ginza's SAYEGUSA environmental and social activities ``SAYEGUSA GREEN PROJECT,'' won the Minister of the Environment Award (corporate category) at the 10th Ministry of the Environment's Good Life Awards. Our efforts to find new value in Satoyama through rice were highly praised. “Sakaemura Kotaki is a rice-producing area adjacent to Minamiuonuma in Niigata Prefecture, and the deliciousness of Otaki rice has been known for a long time.Originally, because the amount of rice planted was small, it was mostly consumed locally, but thanks to reconstruction support and the preservation of Satoyama. For this purpose, we devised a package and are selling it on our website as rare rice.The partnership between Kotaki and our company with the common goal of preserving Satoyama may also be one of the reasons why it was praised. We would like to continue to work together with the people of Otaki to improve on what we can do one by one.As a long-established company, it is important to have a long-term perspective, not just for tomorrow's sales, but for 30, 200, and XNUMX years. I think so.'' *Kotaki White website:http://kotakirice.jp/
grow with BOOKS


image: grow with BOOKS
In addition to baby and children's clothing, Ginza's Saegusa takes on various projects, but the basic philosophy of its activities is to help children grow. As part of this effort, in October 2017 we started a book project titled ``grow with BOOKS.'' ``grow with BOOKS'' is a small bookstore located inside Saegusa. With book director Yoshitaka Haba as our book selection partner, we carefully select books from over 10 books published each year that stimulate the sensibilities of children and that adults can enjoy together.
``We started ``grow with BOOKS'' because we wanted to provide a place to nurture children's sensibilities through books.We have a wide variety of books, including picture books and fairy tales, as well as photo books and books with excellent graphics. I grew up watching my parents' backs, but when I look back at my own life, I didn't have the option of becoming a musician, athlete, or craftsman in the future because my parents were merchants. When children are faced with choosing their future, their options will be limited if they have few experiences that stimulate their sensibilities. I don't think there are enough efforts to help children, so I want to expand the range of things that can help children make decisions."
Providing experiences that foster children's sensibilities


Children's music atelier (participatory concert) ©︎teamMiura
This year, which marks the 150th anniversary of our founding, we want to give children a real music experience, so we are holding a three-day music event, ``La Folle Journée,'' at the International Forum in Yurakucho during Golden Week. Participate in. Saegusa sponsored one of the slots for a participatory workshop called ``Children's Music Atelier,'' which you can participate in using a ticket stub from a paid performance, and was involved from the planning stage.
“We arranged classical music related to this year's theme of La Folle Journée, ``Voyage,'' into a Bon Odori version, and the children who practiced their original songs in a workshop beforehand performed in a large ensemble with musicians. It's an event where both children and adults dance together.The name of the program is ``Folbon Kids Band.''Children also participate in the composition and choreography of the music. Saegusa may think that there are high hurdles to overcome, but Saegusa's opinion is that ``the world treats children too much like children.Children have abilities and sensibilities that exceed the imagination of adults.'' They hope to continue creating a place where children can experience "authentic" culture.


Concert interaction scene for children aged 0 and up
You might think it would be a high hurdle for a child to compose a song with a professional musician, but he says, ``The world treats children too much like children.Children have abilities and sensibilities that go beyond what adults can imagine.'' This is Mr. Saegusa's theory. They hope to continue creating a place where children can experience "authentic" culture.
“Ginza is a city where many trends and cultures have been born.In this special city, we have reconsidered the keyword ``children,'' which is the core of our business, as ``hope for the future.'' As we approach the milestone of our 150th anniversary, we will continue to keep a special focus on the field of fashion and continue to do new things to help create a sustainable society for the future. want to go. Even if each one is small, what expands beyond them is the infinite possibilities of children.”
*The contents and information contained in this article are as of the time of publication.
Ryo Saegusa
President and CEO of Saegusa Ginza Co., Ltd.
He is the fifth generation president of Ginza's Saegusa, a famous children's clothing store founded in 1869. After graduating from Keio University, he worked in a bank, and in 2012 took over the management of his family's business, Ginza Saegusa. In April 2017, the Ginza store was moved to Ginza 4-chome. He is planning various projects himself to create opportunities for children to experience real things. As one of the leading men in Ginza, he is also involved in neighborhood association activities.
https://www.sayegusa.com
Interview: Mio Shimamura (Premium Japan), text: Megumi Komatsu, photo (person): Takahiko Yamamura
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