I bought some great carbon steel knives from a little 1-man shop called Shigeharu in Kyoto a few years back. Supposedly dates from pre-1390. Feels like owning a piece of history. Was very much wondering what would happen to the shop in the future as the owner/knife-maker was quite elderly.
A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
61–70 of 179 posts
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#62https://www.visualcapitalist.com/oldest-companies/ is also rather interesting to look at. The oldest one in Japan: > The Japanese temple and shrine construction company, Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd. (founded in 578) has weathered a few storms over the millennia, from nuclear bombs to financial crises. In 2006, it was bought by the construction conglomerate, Takamatsu Construction Group Co., and continues to operate today.
The story is that Kongo Gumi was founded by people who had worked on the first Buddhist temple, but the first Buddhist temple, Hōkō-ji, wasn't started until 588. Not sure exactly what's going on there, someone should check the paperwork. Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 597. I find it kind of wild that those two events were only nine years apart.
That seems like a rare reason for the story to seem suspicious. Predating the religion that they mostly work for. I bet they started out as a general purpose carpentry/construction company (I mean it was 588, they probably didn't need civil engineering licenses), and specialized to what what was getting them money.
"Not sure if this new religion will work out, but we could always go back to making tables" - Them, probably.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#63Do shops like these mostly inherited? I'm also aware of Japan's adult adoptions. Is there pressure on the next gen. to take over the family business? I would think yes. In my mind, just imagining operating for a Millennium, these institutions are more temples than businesses. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Thankfully the practice is not very widespread as I could easily have found myself taking care…
It's about legacy, legacy brings personal satisfaction too.
I would be very happy to be part of something that dates back hundreds of years.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#64I bought some great carbon steel knives from a little 1-man shop called Shigeharu in Kyoto a few years back. Supposedly dates from pre-1390. Feels like owning a piece of history. Was very much wondering what would happen to the shop in the future as the owner/knife-maker was quite elderly. https://openkyoto.com/real-kyoto-knives-aritsugu-knives/
Honestly the shop would just cease to exist. There was a local cake shop and a tofu shop near me that was passed down for generations. Saddly they both ceased to exist in my lifetime as there was no one to inherit the legacy. The cake shop eventually did reopen under new ownership but it's not as good.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#65Damnit, last year I walked straight past that mochi shop without even realising it. And now I'm hungry. (Seriously, though, the snacking in Kyoto is epic. Lovely temples and all, but when I go back, my first stop will be at a yatsuhashi shop, then mochi, then those red bean fish cake thingies, then maybe a cucumber on a stick. Damnit, now I'm REALLY hungry. Anyhow, these are businesses worth keeping around for a thou…
The oldest restaurant in Nara hasn't changed their menu in 500 years or so: your options are barley rice with grated yam (mugi tororo) or barley rice with broiled eel (unagi). The eel is great. The barley rice with gloopy yam on top... let's just say I understand why nobody else sells this stuff anymore.
What I absolutely love about this comment is that I feel exactly the opposite. Love mugi tororo and cannot figure out how eel is popular at all.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
that's what maturation into adulthood is, taking responsibility for social institutions that are larger than oneself and endure longer than oneself, rather than being a 35 year old owning nothing and playing paintball, which is, in contrast to the business culture on display here the future sold to us by the beloved SV companies. Most of which if I had to bet will not last longer than this store.
Maturity means different things for people at different income levels. I've seen young children mature by managing a real estate portfolio, and then moving onto greater relations and responsibilities. I've seen other children mature by rotting in a failing Filipino bakery.
maturity has nothing to do with your income level. Maturation is the integration of the individual into a community and the establishment of mutual responsibility. You can be livelong rich and at the age of 70 have not progressed one day at all, and you can be poor and be well integrated.
The purpose of these Japanese companies is the latter, integrate into society in a way that strengthens the community they surround. The purpose of SV is the opposite, advocate a culture of individualism, 'disruption' and 'freedom', and then sell you an anti-anxiety smartphone app with a subscription service because you're lonely.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or you can read it as "social pressure to do something for your entire life that you don't really want to do."
That's true. But at the same time, for many people, what they want to do is to carry on a legacy and contribute to something larger than themselves. A culture that forces all young people to build from scratch denies those opportunities just as surely as a culture that forces everyone to follow in their parent' footsteps denies opportunities to start afresh.
I think it really depends on the legacy. I mean...how many of the misty eyed people commenting are doing the same thing one of their parents do/did, or wishing they were? I certainly am not.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
The oldest restaurant in Nara hasn't changed their menu in 500 years or so: your options are barley rice with grated yam (mugi tororo) or barley rice with broiled eel (unagi). The eel is great. The barley rice with gloopy yam on top... let's just say I understand why nobody else sells this stuff anymore.
What I absolutely love about this comment is that I feel exactly the opposite. Love mugi tororo and cannot figure out how eel is popular at all.
And here we have why they have two options.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh no, owning property and having a place in the community. What a nightmare.
A lot of us do not want to work in the family business but rather want to pursue our dreams. You only have the one life after all.
From the outside looking in it seems romantic, having the opportunity, safety net, and shared experiences of operating a family owned business sounds pretty amazing.
Realistically I’m guessing it’s more complex than this, depending on the family and what the business actually is.
Re: A Japanese shop is 1,020 years old
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
'tech' is kind of a broad brush. But Nintendo is even older than old behemoths like GE and IBM.
Yep, IBM was founded in 1911
Its constituent companies were older, though. Hollerith's original Tabulating Machine patent was filed in 1884, and his machines and punch cards were used for the 1890 census.