About “Kyoto-Shinise no kai” (the Kyoto Company Century Club)

History

For over 1,000 years since the year 794, Kyoto was the capital city of Japan, during which time the dynastic court scene developed and refined a myriad of traditions and arts, such as fabric dyeing, textiles, crafts, architecture, landscape gardening, cuisine, food production, paintings and performance arts, and these have been passed down through the generations until today. In particular, Kyoto is home to a great number of long-established companies which continue to work with and pass on these traditions, including many companies which also work to convert those traditional techniques and apply them to the modern age.

In Kyoto Prefecture, since 1968, companies which have over 100 years of history, uphold family business values, continue traditional techniques and business methods, and are role models for other companies are recognised as “Kyo-no-Shinise” (a Long-Established Company of Kyoto). There are now over 1,900 companies with this status, of which there are several which were established over 300 or even 400 years ago.

The Kyoto Company Century Club was established on 21st March 2012 with the aim of gathering together these Long-Established Companies of Kyoto, and together with universities and the government, work to research and share their collective wisdom and knowledge in order to pass it on to future generations.

Organisation structure

  1. Companies
    Over 1,900 companies recognised as Long-Established Companies of Kyoto
  2. University researchers, etc.
    Researchers at Kyoto University, Kyoto University of Arts and Crafts, Doshisha University, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Ryukoku University, etc.
  3. Governments
    Kyoto Prefecture

Main members

Representative: Governor of Kyoto Prefecture

Name Company Name Area of Work Established
Haruhiko Okura Gekkeikan Sake brewing 1637
Eiichi Takahashi Hyotei Traditional restauraunt ~400 years ago
Kensuke Doi Doi-Shibazuke-Honpo Tsukemono (pickle) making 1901
Sozaemon Nishimura Chiso Kyo-yuzen fabric production 1555
Masataka Hata Shoyeido Incense production 1705
Shigehiko Hattori Shimadzu Analytical machinery production, etc. 1875
Susumu Yamaguchi Kawashima Selkon Textiles Traditional and artistic textiles production, etc. 1843
Tetsuji Yamamoto Hanayashiki Ukifune-en Hotel 1894
Uhee Wakabayashi Wakabayashi Butsugu Buddhist altars and fittings production 1830

Contents of activities

We are engaged in the following projects in order to make use of these long-established companies’ work and management resources (business succession and longevity secrets) and pass them on to future generations:

1. Information provision project

We are widely promoting Kyoto’s long-established companies and their wisdom both throughout Japan and overseas as well.

2. Mutual exchange project

Providing opportunities for exchange between companies and other long-established organisations.

  • Members exchange meeting
  • Exchange with other organisations, etc.

3. Technology and research project

Research and studies into company management methods, in cooperation with universities and other research institutes

  • Studies into longevity management
  • Seminars and lectures at universities from long-established company managers

4. Secretariat

Kyoto Prefectural Government, Textiles and Crafts Division
Yabunouchi-cho Kamigyo-ku Kyoto, 602-8570 JAPAN
E-mail: senshoku@pref.kyoto.lg.jp