ISHIKAWA 's clothing brushes are made with horsehair called "owakige," which is as soft as a feather yet has firmness. They are known for being gentle on fabrics and restoring the original texture of materials, and are so popular that production sometimes can't keep up with demand.

The brush maker, Kazuo Ishikawa, and his son, Kengo, posed somewhat shyly, with Ishikawa saying, "This is the first time we've taken a photo together as father and son."
When asked about the story behind the creation of the brush, Kazuo replied, "I'm not boasting, but there weren't any craftsmen willing to put in the effort to make a brush with this material and this level of quality."
Enjoy both the first part of the story about Kazuo, who "invented" a clothes brush that is recognized worldwide, and the second part of the story about Kengo, who has taken over his work.

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From a failing salaryman to ending up working at a brush shop by chance.

When I was young, Japan was in the midst of its period of rapid economic growth, a time when the motto was "work hard and earn money." The ideal life story was to graduate from school, join a major corporation, and have lifetime employment. I joined an advertising agency as a salesperson, but I lacked grit and failed at everything. After that, I moved from company to company, basically a failure. I thought to myself, "What am I supposed to do with my life?"

The workshop I visited for the interview was crammed with tools and materials needed to make clothes brushes.

In my mid-30s, I happened to get a job at a brush shop as a craftsman making brushes for glue. The brush makers' union took the lead in starting sales in the household goods section of department stores, but the clothing brushes I saw there were still the same as they used to be. There were only "hard, heavy, thick boar bristle brushes" for winter fabrics. Clothes have evolved with the times to be softer, lighter, and thinner, but brushes have remained the same. I wondered if this was really okay.

When I spoke to the craftsmen, they said, "It's just a clothes brush." They said, "The bristles are stiff, so just brush gently." They weren't taking it seriously at all. Around that time, I started hearing from customers that "the texture of the fabric deteriorated after being dry-cleaned" or "the fabric has lost its shine, so is there a good way to care for it?"

Page 2 | "If no one else will do it, I'll give it a try!" A sudden burst of determination.