Hyogo Leather Industry Cooperative Federation

In each district, associations were established in the 1950s and 60s, beginning in 1953, and have played an active role in line with the growth of the economy. Under these circumstances, there was a growing consensus that in order to promote the healthy development of the leather industry as a traditional local industry in Hyogo Prefecture, it was necessary for companies to make self-help efforts, as well as for the implementation of measures to promote the leather industry through the joint efforts of guiding organizations and administrative bodies. The “Hyogo Leather Industry Cooperative Federation” was established on May 26, 1980 to unify the industry in the prefecture and to strengthen its economic foundation by implementing production area promotion projects in response to the challenging economic environment.

The first garments worn by humans are believed to have been animal skins.

It was a natural fabric obtained by skinning prey animals and then simply drying and rubbing the hide. These people were able to withstand the changing seasons, live in extremely cold regions, and survive the Ice Age because they knew how to use fur, an excellent winter garment. It could be said that tanning was the first chemical industry ever developed by mankind.

Historically, the most prominent tanning methods in Japan can generally be summed up in the bare deerskin used for Koshu lacquered deer leather (called “Koshu inden” in Japanese) and the Himeji white-tanned cowhide. White-tanned leather is a type of vegetable oil-tanned leather, and is extremely precious, even from a global perspective, in the sense that it is a technology that has been handed down to the current day.

Looking back at the history of the leather industry in Hyogo Prefecture, it cannot be denied that the present-day leather industry owes its existence to the history of Himeji leather, which was called “Banshu tanning” in the olden days.

The fact that the leather industry has long been practiced in the Harima region is confirmed in the “Engishiki,” a compilation of laws and regulations from the late Heian period (794-1185), but exactly where in Harima the leather was produced remains a mystery. However, since the Middle Ages, the center of production appears to have been in the Himeji area. During this period, it was said that Harima’s leather craftsmen were highly sought after by the warriors of the time for their excellent tanned hides.

At the center of this production was the Takagi district of Himeji, where white-tanned leather was produced. The skin was soaked in river water, depilated with the help of enzymes produced by bacteria in the hair follicles, rubbed with salt and rapeseed oil, and then exposed to the sun to produce a light milky-white leather. This technique was probably perfected by the mid-Edo period.

Himeji has gained a prominent reputation as the hometown of leather in Japan. Its birthplace is the Takagi district, located about 10 km upstream from the Ichi River. Why skin tanning has been practiced here for so long is uncertain, but it appears that developing the region as a leather producing industry was a strong policy of the domain.

(1) There was the Ichi River, with a calm stream and wide riverbed suitable for tanning.
(2) Many cows were reared in western Japan, so it was easy to collect cowhides, the raw material for this product.
(3) The Seto Inland Sea climate characterized by relatively mild temperatures and minimal rainfall was suitable for drying the hide.
(4) It was also easy to obtain the salt needed to preserve and process the skins.
(5) It was in close proximity to political, economic, and consumption hubs such as Osaka and Kyoto.

Himeji white-tanned leather is also known as Koshi-tanned, Banshu-tanned, or Himeji-tanned leather, but there are several legends surrounding the origin of this tanning technique, which can be summarized as follows.

1. Originated from Korea
   According to the most famous local legend, a prisoner of war captured during Empress Jingu's conquest of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, who was skilled in the art of hot-skinning, tried it at Maruyamagawa River in Tajima, ventured south and succeeded at Ichi River, and then passed the technique onto the villagers.
2. Legend of Hijiri Okina
   It is said that leather production started after learning from a wise old man who lived under a giant muku tree in Matsugase (the old name for Takagi). This old man is honored as Hijiri Okina, and is said to be the deity of Hijiri-jinja Shrine, which is enshrined in the district.
3. Originated from Izumo Province
   While it is acknowledged that leather production originated during the reign of Empress Jingu, it is also said that a leather merchant from Koshi-mura in Izumo Province tried to produce leather at Kizugawa, Osaka during the Genroku period (1688-1704) without success, but after obtaining good products from Ichikawa, he made a name for himself by introducing them to the world as Koshi leather.
   

   These legends have actually passed down in a mixed form, and there appears to be no concrete historical documentation to support them. On the other hand, from the perspective of the history of leather-making technology, it cannot be said that modern-day techniques have always existed in their current form, and it is assumed that the legends have taken on meaning by relating them to the technological changes taking place over several hundred years.

The technology for processing large, hard-fiber animal skins, such as cowhide, is thought to have started later in history than that for small and medium-sized animal skins, such as deer skin. In other words, deerskin is the oldest leather made, and it is believed that the beginning of the processing of cowhide leather is closely linked to the arrival of the leather-making engineer Suruki, as mentioned, for example, in the Ninkenki of Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan). The first mention of Harima as a leather-producing region in historical records is found in the Engishiki compilation, completed in 927. In the same compilation, in the period of trade and miscellaneous goods in the minbu section (about taxes), the following 43 provinces are listed as the sources of leather: Iga, Owari, Mikawa, Totomi, Suruga, Izu, Kai, Sagami, Musashi, Awa, Kazusa, Shimosa, Hitachi, Omi, Mino, Shinano, Ueno, Mutsu, Dewa, Echizen, Kaga, Noto, Etchu, Echigo, Tamba, Tango, Tajima, Inaba, Izumo, Iwami, Harima, Mimasaka, Bizen, Bitchu, Aki, Suo, Nagato, Awa, Sanuki, Iyo, Kii, and Dazaifu. Most common among these can be identified as deerskins (35 countries) and cowhides (14 countries) (the number of provinces is counted by type). In addition, the “Shokoku Shinbakaku” shows that six countries (Owari, Omi, Mino, Tajima, Harima, and Awa) paid a contribution of 100 pieces in total, with Harima accounting for 32 pieces, making it the largest producer. In the case of deerskin, Mikawa, Musashi, and Ueno each produced 60 pieces, followed by Harima, which produced 50 pieces, along with Iyo. Harima is not known as a producer of cowhide.

In those days, leather was used for rituals, saddles, harnesses, armor, slippers, heels, rugs, clothing, waist belts, swords, archery tools, cords, ornaments, and fukigawa (leather for bellows).

As proof of the early existence of the leather industry in the Takagi area, the Harima Fudoki (description of regional climate, culture, etc.) often cites the section on Ogawa-mura Village, Shikama-gun County, as one of the early examples.

・・・・・・故号私里。・・・・・・改為小川里。・・・・・・所以称高瀬者、品太天皇、登於夢前丘、樹而望見者、北方有白色物。勅云、彼何物乎。即遺舎人上野国麻奈毘古令察之。申云、自高処流落水、是也。即号高瀬村。

There are various opinions that the white material in this text refers to ripe leather bleached in the sun, that such an understanding is lacking, or that it is questionable. The reasons for this are: the change in the flow of the Ichi River, the topography, the difficulty of viewing the river from Yumesaki Hill, the fact that there were no thoughts of treating leather production as taboo during the reign of Emperor Honta no Sumeramikoto (Ojin), and the fact that it is unlikely that a large amount of leather production was conducted in the society of that time to the extent that it would appear white when viewed from afar. Due to these reasons, it is difficult to agree with the easy connection between this passage in Fudoki and the leather production in the Ichikawa basin.

In any case, leather production in Harima was extremely active during the Muromachi period (1333-1573). Furthermore, by the Toyotomi period, there was considerable talk linking Himeji to leather, indicating the high level of production and technology at that time. For example, the following anecdote is still known. Hideyoshi Hashiba Chikuzenmori, a vassal of the Oda clan at that time, was ordered by his lord Nobunaga to expand Himeji Castle during the Tensho period. For example, the following anecdote is still known. Hashiba Chikuzen no kami Hideyoshi (governor of Chikuzen Province), a vassal of the Oda family at that time, was ordered by his lord Nobunaga to expand Himeji Castle during the Tensho period (1573-1592). He inherited Himeji Castle, including its territory, from Kanbei Kuroda, the lord of Himeji Castle at that time, and began to rebuild the castle after making a request to Kanbei Kuroda and Yahei Asano, the magistrates in charge of the construction work. In the middle of September, 1580, while conducting military training, he climbed Mt. Kameyama in Takagi Village and set up camp while inspecting the autumn harvest. The place called “Shirota no Ten” at the top of this Mt. Kameyama (present-day Mt. Maeyama) was located above the present-day Hanada Nursery School, and its name is still passed down to this day.

When the Governor of Chikuzen stopped by Takagi Village, an old woman offered him a piece of leather, which he appreciated so much that he dug a well at her request as a thank-you for her kindness. This well is said to have been dubbed “Taiko Well,” and it is rumored to have gushed forth even in times of drought.

The Governor of Chikuzen also used Himeji leather for repairing weapons, and its durability and beauty were unparalleled. It is said that on December 12, 1581, he presented 200 pieces of leather as a souvenir of Banshu to Nobunaga as a New Year's gift to celebrate the rebuilding of Himeji Castle, and that he also presented 1,000 室革文庫 and 1,000 鞍蓋馬.

At this time, leather was a particularly important material in terms of armory procurement, and Himeji leather workers were dispersed over a considerable area. For example, when Nagamasa Kuroda, the lord of the Himeji area, was given the Chikuzen province and moved to the area after the Battle of Sekigahara, he established Takagi Village there and invited “kawazukuri” (leather craftsmen) from his former domain to join him. In 1605, Magozaemon and others were invited to Sawara-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture, and in 1606, Harimaya Saemon Goro was invited to the Kaga domain.

It is said that leather craftsmen went to the Tottori domain in 1617, and there are also stories of leather craftsmen migrating from Himeji to the Kawanishi and Ise areas. These are all proof that each clan sought out Himeji's excellent leather craftsmen.

It is also often found in historical documents of the Edo period (1603-1868). In 1454, the “Kamakura Nenchu Gyoji” (Annual Events of Kamakura) mentions “Harimakawa no Shiroki Chikaragawa” (white leather stirrups made from Harima leather), and in the “Katsuragawa Jizoki,” “Bankara Chikaragawa” (Bankara leather stirrups); in the “Wakan Sansai Zue” (Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia), “Murotsu Nameshi-gawa” (Murotsu tanned leather); in the “Kan'en 2 Hosomizufusai Miyage Meibutsu” (Harima Illustrated Appendix of Gifts of 1749), a Himeji leather cigarette box; and in the “Kefukigusa” (a book for haikai including manners and selection of works), the Japanese characters for 室滑, 同枕, and horse leather can be seen. In “Sokenkisho”, it is written “Made in Himeji, Banshu, Japan, in five colors, each with a single leaf hollyhock and a scattered cherry blossom seal, and measuring 49cm x 28.4cm. The red leather ones are the most expensive among these.”

Thus, Himeji white-tanned leather was the most typical leather in terms of quantity and quality throughout each period, and was the most typical method of production at that time.

Supported by the development of a nationwide commodity economy from the mid-Tokugawa period onward, the leather industry was also being incorporated into the nationwide commodity distribution system.

According to the History of the Leather Industry (Volume 1), the leather industry in the Banshu region is described as follows.

At that time, "white-tanned leather" and its "leather crafts" from Banshu-Himeji were in demand nationwide, and were sold through merchants in Himeji, Osaka, Edo, Owari, and other areas. These products include mainly armory, bunko cases, and pouches, as well as straps for high clogs (high-geta), mukogake (tsumagake, or tsumakawa, a type of geta with a high knotty edge). A cover for the tip of a geta), and there was also a large market for “white leather” in its original form as a raw material for processing.

The leather industry in the Himeji domain in the early modern period was already divided regionally. Needless to say, this was deeply connected to the class-based rule of feudal society. It appears that this was established “from above” by the power of the lords during the period when the class system was established in the early modern period, and eventually became established as a clear division of work areas along with the development of the commodity economy. The tanning section was located along the Ichi River basin, which runs along the east side of Himeji, and the Ibogawa River basin, which runs along the west side of Himeji, while the processing section was located from Nakanikai-machi to Higashinikai-machi in Himeji Castle Town area.

In the former tanning section, the so-called white tanned leather, was made in Takagi-mura and Shigo-mura villages in Shikama-gun County in the Ichi River basin, as well as Sawada, Sensho, and Matsubara in Ibo-gun County in the Ibogawa River basin. Takagi-mura Village was the center of white tanned leather production, and its products were far superior to those of other villages. At that time, when leather-making technology was still in its infancy, it was inevitable that natural conditions would be a major factor influencing production. Takagi-mura Village was a center for the production of white tanned leather because of the water quality of the Ichi River as well as other bountiful natural conditions.

The latter processing section was engaged in the manufacture of boxes, bunko cases, armors, harnesses, training tools, etc., mainly in the castle town area from Nakanikai-machi to Higashinikai-machi. It is said that the daimyo (feudal lords) of the western part of Japan who traveled to the Kanto region in those days avoided passing through this area due to the peculiar odor of leather. Some of these stores even did business with more than a dozen feudal lords.

Incidentally, "leatherworking" was also practiced in rural areas outside of the castle towns. In other words, Murotsu (a small port facing the Harimanada Sea) was a base for the daimyo of the western part of Japan at that time when they made their rounds of the Edo period, and the stores that manufactured and sold tobacco pouches, mukogake (tsumagake), geta straps, etc. as gifts for these samurai lined the streets, and trade with Edo, Owari and Osaka also flourished. In Murotsu, cowhide made mainly in Sensho, Sawada, Matsubara, Tatsuno, and other areas in the Ibogawa River basin was used. Also, in the Ichi River basin, such as Gochaku and Shigo Village, Kamisuzu, etc, it is said that geta straps and Ise oilskins were made under the name of “harikiji” and sold along the streets even though it was not of the same high quality as Takagi-mura village white tanned leather.

In November 1731, Sakai Tadazumi, who had become the lord of Maebashi Castle, petitioned the shogunate to transfer to Himeji in order to reorganize and restore the finances of the Sakai family, which had finally become destitute since the Tenna period　(1681-1684). This wish was granted by the shogunate, and in January 1749, he was granted 150,000 koku of land in the 10 counties of Shinto, Jinsei, Katoh, Kasai, Shikito, Shikisai, Kako, Inami, Itto, and Issai in Harima Province, making him lord of Himeji Castle. However, due to a series of floods that followed, his efforts were in vain, and the finances of the Himeji domain became increasingly destitute.

The financial difficulties of the clan were passed on to the vassals in the form of a 50-percent rice contribution (agemai) which only amounted to less than one-fifth of the clan's financial expenditures. And so, the clan’s money ran dry, and even the official duties of the feudal lord could not be performed. Even with the cooperation of his family, the clan struggled to make ends meet with just over 35,000 bales of rice, including living expenses for the lord's father and son and entertainment for various guests. The clan tried to avert the crisis by ordering merchants and volunteers in the fiefdom to accumulate money, but the interest on debts from merchants in Edo and Osaka forced the clan to take out new temporary loans at high interest rates, and the interest snowballed, further deepening the financial crisis.

A series of orders were issued to the peasants and townspeople in the fiefdom to cut back on their frugality, but this was of little use to the people, who could not afford to be any more prudent were forced to live on the bare minimum. By 1807, the total debt had reached 730,000 ryo, and the financial crisis of the clan had reached its peak. In December 1808, after days and nights of careful contemplation, the third lord Tadahiro summoned his retainer Kawai Hayanosuke from Edo (Tokyo), ordered him to reform the finances, and entrusted him with all measures to deal with the political crisis in the Himeji domain.

Although the reforms were implemented from 1809, the financial difficulties intensified further, as many expenses were lost and many payments remained unpaid. So, rice was borrowed from vassals and orders for frugality were repeatedly issued. In addition, reforms were implemented throughout the Bunka-Bunsei period (1804-1830), including the abolition of most of the village headmen and the establishment of a domain-run oil refinery in the village of Yashiro-mura outside the castle. How would this reform have affected the leather industry that was developing at the time?

In February 1820, a petition was submitted by 21 leatherwork craftsmen from Himeji's Nakanikai-machi, requesting their leatherwork to not be sold in other places or towns, and prohibiting the selling of other places' products in Himeji, and the court decided to protect them.

The clan that protected the jointly-named artists set up a Leather Association Office in Nikai-machi and stamped each product with a seal. And, needless to say, the production of leather goods was encouraged. It should be said that the clan's finances, which were under threat, found an excellent source of revenue in this leatherwork.

In August 1824, the clan established a ”Leather Association Office in Takagi-mura Village, Shikama-gun County, and appointed three men, Kyudayu Masuo (an official merchant in Sakai, Osaka), Junbei Okabe, and Mugikura Mimori, as “leather hangers/binders” All products were stamped with the seal of the association, and a fee was charged according to the number of sheets.

Thus, the leather industry in the Himeji domain, which had been developing on the wave of the national commodity economy since the mid-Tokugawa period, was brought under the domain's control in terms of both the tanning and processing processes. The clan willingly protected and encouraged the leather industry, and it became impossible to handle its products without once passing through the clan's “Leather Association Office.” The clan's leather industry was not limited to the dead cattle and horses in the territory, but also included raw hides brought in through Osaka merchants, enabling the production of white tanned leather.

It is said that in Takagi-mura Village, which was the center of production of white tanned leather, the entire village was involved in the production of this leather.

During the Tenpo period (1830-1844), Nidayu, a landowner who owned more than 63% of the total arable land in Takagi-mura Village, and was able to venture out to neighboring villages without stepping on other people's land, controlled the white tanned leather in Takagi. He lived in a big mansion resembling a castle and villagers called him “Oyakata” and “Danna”. He received raw hides from wholesalers in Osaka, unloaded them by boat at the port of Shigo-mura Village in Shikama-gun County, loaded them onto a takase-bune (a small boat used to transport goods), and sailed them up the Ichi River, where they were assigned to villagers for processing as soon as the cargo arrived.

It is said that the finished products were sent to wholesalers in Osaka via the Leather Association. So, in fact, the producers of white tanned leather in Takagi-mura Village were entirely under the control of Osaka merchant capital in the form of piecework.

The leather industry in the Himeji domain after the mid-Tokugawa period was developing extensively, centering on the so-called white tanned leather, but it came under the domain's control as one of the policies to overcome the financial crisis of the domain that began in the Bunka-Bunsei period. The intention of the domain’s power, which had already established a coexisting relationship with the major merchants during the domain’s financial crisis, was to help alleviate its finances by extracting profits through the landowners in response to the development of the leather industry there. This is clearly demonstrated by the establishment of the Leather Association Office mentioned earlier.

The general structure of the leather industry in the Himeji domain is described above, but this was not limited to the Himeji domain. The financial woes of feudal lords, which became apparent with the development of the commodity economy after the mid-Tokugawa period, were a common factor for all clans, and each clan actively implemented measures to restore their finances in this manner. The leather industry at this time was more or less sucked into the financial structure of these policies.

In ancient times, the raw material used for leather production was horsehide, but with the expansion of cattle farming, cowhide became the main raw material from the Middle Ages onward. According to the “Osaka Shishi” (Osaka City History), during the Bunsei period (1818-1830), “Originally, the tanning of cattle and horse hides was limited to Ichikawa, Banshu in the Osaka metropolitan area, and those from Sesshu were subcontracted to Takagi Village, Shikito-gun, Himeji Territory, near Ichikawa.” Thus, it is known that a large amount of tanning was carried out and contributed greatly to the domain's finances at that time. It is also known that not only domestic but also imported raw hides of cattle were used to a great extent.

No records describing the manufacturing process can be found before the end of the Edo period. The main processes known from studies since the Meiji period (1868-1912) are as follows: soaking in the river, depilation, back-straining, applying salt, oil rubbing, drying, humidifying, drying, and rubbing (repeated several times). It should be noted that this procedure is very similar to the leather making section of the Engishiki.

牛革一張(長六尺五寸，広五尺五寸，)。除毛一人。除膚肉一人。 浸水潤釋一人。曝涼踏柔四人。

In other words, the prototype of white-tanned leather was completed almost a thousand years ago.

Ogaki family documents from the first half of the Meiji period (1868-1912) list the following types of tanned leather: Kutsukawa, 和皮靼, 朝鮮靼, 変女靼, 五志靼, Ba-tan (horse leather), Chumono-tan, and 小皮靼. Based on the characteristics of the manufacturing process, they can be divided into shoe leather, koshi leather, and regular leather.

From Kyoeisha's advertisements in the early Taisho period (1912-1926), there were also shoe leather, toji-kawa, harikiji (stretch) fabric, and taiko drum leather and their manufacturing methods differed to some extent. Harikiji stretch fabric was a late-Edo period innovation.

Thus, Himeji white-tanned leather is a typical example of a tanning technique that Japan can be proud of worldwide, and it flourished until the end of the Edo period. From the Meiji period, tanning techniques gradually declined due to the westernization of lifestyles, low productivity, and the spread of vegetable-tanning and chrome-tanning as new methods of leather making. Especially since 1945, the Takagi area has been dominated by chrome-tanned leather production, and the number of people engaged in the white tanning business has drastically decreased. Its uses are also limited to bunko cases, martial arts equipment, kimono accessories, baseballs, and small articles, and nowadays people are seeking out their products in Himeji specialty items.

Despite a lack of reliable data on the beginnings of the leather industry, we would like to summarize some of the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation in various regions.

In the case of Matsubara in Tatsuno, in a congratulatory message for the “Chikukonsai” (animal spirit festival) held in March 1956, it is stated that “about 400 years ago, during the Tensho period, drums were made from the hides of dead cows and horses and delivered to shrines and temples, and Yamato shoes (agricultural shoes), harnesses and drums were also manufactured at the order of warlords on that day. This is probably how the local people saw it.

It was not until the Edo period that historical documents related to the leather industry began to appear.　In 1632, there is a record of trouble regarding the transportation of rawhide in Waku-mura Village. Around that time, the rights to dispose of dead cattle and horses and to use dead cattle and horse hides were determined, and the places where they were to be used were defined. The area covered by the process was called "danna-ba" (husbandry place), "kusa-ba" (grass field), "soji-ba" (cleaning place), or "kiyome-ba" (clean field), and included Yamashita, Nishigamae, Sakae, Toyo, Hagiwara, Masago, and Kouchi Market. Therefore, the leather industry did not initially go beyond the processing of dead cows and horses at the husbandry unit. By the 18th century, however, the scale of the business appears to have expanded, either by purchasing raw hides from elsewhere or by processing horse hides from the village of Watanabe, Osaka.

In the case of the Homare area, tanning was also practiced as follows. In the late Edo period, tanning was active in Monzen (present-day Matsubara) and Hiroyama (present-day Homare), and from Kansei to mid-Bunka periods, the tanners began purchasing raw hides from within the Tottori domain. The Bunka-Bunsei period was the heyday of the leather industry in these villages. In the Tempo period, clans throughout Japan began to focus on raw hides for leather, and began to monopolize and tighten controls on the sale of hides. Since raw hides could only be sold through specific persons, the villages of Iryu, which could not reach the upper echelons of these clans, were at a loss to obtain raw hides.

After the Meiji period (1868-1912), the production of stretch fabrics was the mainstay of the industry. The manufacturing process was basically the same as that of Himeji white-tanned leather, but the hue was not as white and the texture was harder. The fabric was mainly lacquered and finished into products, and the products were shipped to Murotsu and Himeji, where they were made into cigarette cases, protective cover for geta clogs, and letter cases.

Raw hides (kigawa) (pickers) were also made. The raw material was buffalo skin, imported mainly from Southeast Asia, and processed into leather for spinning and for the brim of kendo swords. The technology of chrome-tanned leather was introduced at the beginning of the Showa period. At that time, Jiichi Nakajima went to Nishiyama in Osaka to learn chrome-tanning techniques, and became an engineer and collaborated with Takanori Seto on research and development at his factory, which then spread to Matsubara, taking us up to the current time.

The following is a record of leatherworking in Murotsu, compiled by the Matsubara district.

● Cigarette cases
Cigarette cases worn around the waist can be broadly classified into two types: “koshi-zashi” cigarette cases, which are fastened with a tube to hold a kiseru (smoking pipe), and “sage” cigarette cases, which are fastened with a netsuke (carved toggle used to tether a small container to the sash of a robe). The cigarette cases shipped from Murotsu were mainly those with only straw bags (called “sage”) and those with leather (called “izutsu-gumi”).

● Leather bunko cases
A bunko is a case that holds books and other personal effects. Although lacquered wooden or paper bunkos have existed since ancient times, the development of the leather industry in the Muromachi period (1333-1573) led to the production of bunkos with leather pasted on them.

● Muko (tsumakawa protective cover for geta clogs)
A cover to hang over the toe of a geta clog to prevent rainwater and mud splashes, often made of Matsubara's stretch fabric. It began to appear around the end of the Edo period and was originally used only by men. “Muko” is the name for it in the Kansai region. Because of the simplicity of the production process and its high profit margin, the volume of these products in Murotsu exceeded that of cigarette cases during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods.

● Kinkara-gawa
Leather covered with metallic foil (mainly silver foil), pressed into a pattern, and then colored. It was used in Europe for decorating walls and furnishings. It was introduced to Japan via the Netherlands around the 17th century, and was highly prized for its gold color and unique design. Because it was imported and expensive, it was rarely used for wall coverings in Japan, but was instead used for artifacts such as cigarette cases. It is said that imitations of this gold kinkara-gawa leather were made in Murotsu. The luster of the lacquer is more than that of the real thing, and it is said to be made by coating the stretch fabric with lacquer, applying gold leaf on top of the lacquer, and then applying more lacquer. 4,000 pieces of stretch fabric were handled in one year, 70% of whic

The Murotsu leather works and the village of Matsubara, which supplied the raw hides, had established an authoritative route to ensure that they would always buy from the Murotsu leather works, and the leather merchants in Matsubara demanded that there would be no “buying or selling on the sly”.

〔 Kawanishi region 〕 (Hiuchi)
Although it is not known whether there are detailed records, the story that has been passed down locally can be summarized as follows.

In the Kawanishi area, it is said that in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the Hiuchi officials to make tether rope and tanned leather for his visit to the Imperial Court. In other words, there were probably quite a few tanners in the area at that time. It is said that around the Kan'ei period (1624-1644), a certain Nishimori, a resident of Harima, came to this area and strongly emphasized the advantages of leather manufacturing, and encouraged the villagers to take up this business. However, records from 1695 indicate that leather production was still on a small scale.

At the end of the Edo period (Genji and Keio periods), raw materials were purchased from Watanabe Village, called Nishihama, and white-tanned leather called “Tojikawa” was manufactured. Lacing leather was sold to Osaka, Himeji, and other cities for use in leather straps, armor, sword hilt rolls, sheath rolls, kendo equipment, craft leather, and lacquered leather. Also, leather haori coats, leather hakama skirts, and sandals were made using a light white-tanned material (明バン<竓). The main raw material was horsehide and cowhide.