Japanese Time-Honored Brands: Breaking Through with "Craftsmanship as the Core", How Do Century-Old Brands Continue Their Legacies in the Tide of the Times?
In Japan, there are thousands of time-honored brands with a history of over a century — some originated from handcraft workshops in the Edo period, while others were born during the industrial wave of the Meiji era. Having weathered multiple challenges such as wars, economic bubbles, and global competition, they have always adhered to a unique survival wisdom. Unlike the corporate logic of pursuing scale expansion, the core competitiveness of these time-honored brands lies in the four words: "Craftsmanship as the Core". This ultimate commitment to craftsmanship is not only the foundation that has allowed them to endure centuries of ups and downs, but also the key code for their successful transformation and continued legacy in the changing times.
The first connotation of "Craftsmanship as the Core" is the ultimate pursuit of "artisan spirit" — not chasing mass production speed, not compromising to cost pressures, but focusing solely on "doing one thing well" and polishing traditional techniques to perfection. In Kyoto, there is a washi (traditional Japanese paper) workshop called "Ogawa Paper" founded in 1596. For over 400 years, it has insisted on making paper by hand: from harvesting mulberry trees, steaming and boiling the bark, to beating fibers and forming paper sheets, every step is done by craftsmen themselves. To ensure the washi is both tough and delicate, craftsmen adjust the water temperature according to the season, control the drying time based on air humidity, and even repeat experiments for months just to achieve the desired texture of a single sheet of paper. Today, Ogawa Paper's washi is not only the official paper used by the Japanese royal family, but also the preferred material for high-end bookbinding and art creation. Even though its price is dozens of times that of ordinary paper, it remains in short supply. There are many similar cases: "Ichigencha", founded in 1832, adheres to the traditional "kama-iri" (pot-roasting) technique to make tea; tea masters judge the heat based on experience to ensure every tea leaf is evenly heated. "Kiku Mizui" lacquerware, established in 1900, requires craftsmen to complete a ten-year apprenticeship before they can independently create a piece; from the undercoat to the topcoat, it needs to be applied repeatedly dozens of times, and the patterns on each lacquerware piece are uniquely hand-painted. This concept of "slow work yields fine products" endows Japanese time-honored brands with inherent "scarcity" and "uniqueness", making them a core symbol that distinguishes them from industrially mass-produced goods.
However, adhering to craftsmanship does not mean clinging to tradition. The wisdom of Japanese time-honored brands lies in their ability to skillfully integrate "traditional craftsmanship" with "modern needs", breathing new life into old techniques — this is precisely the second connotation of "Craftsmanship as the Core": taking craftsmanship as the core and innovation as the means to make century-old brands resonate with contemporary consumers. "Tiger Corporation", founded in 1865, initially started by handcrafting thermos flasks. Relying on its exquisite welding technology and vacuum insulation, it became a must-have item in Japanese households. But with the upgrading of consumption, people's demand for thermal insulation products is no longer limited to "keeping temperature"; instead, they pursue light weight, high aesthetics, and multi-functionality. Therefore, while retaining its core vacuum insulation technology, Tiger Corporation introduced ergonomic design to launch thermos cups that can be opened with one hand; incorporated environmental concepts by using recyclable materials for the outer shell; and even collaborated with designers to launch macaron-colored products that cater to young people's tastes. Today, Tiger Corporation not only remains a leader in Japan's thermal insulation products market but also sells well in dozens of countries around the world. Another typical example is "Shiseido", founded in 1877 — initially a small shop selling Western-style medicines, it later launched Japan's first toothpaste and first cold cream by focusing on the "skin care craftsmanship". In modern times, Shiseido has not abandoned its pursuit of "craftsmanship"; instead, it combines traditional Chinese herbal skincare concepts with modern biotechnology to develop skincare products suitable for Asian skin types. At the same time, it integrates Japanese aesthetics into packaging design, making its products both practical and ornamental. From a small cosmetics shop over a century ago to a global beauty giant today, Shiseido's transformation proves that traditional craftsmanship is not a constraint, but a precious asset that can be combined with modern innovation.
More importantly, the "Craftsmanship as the Core" of Japanese time-honored brands has long transcended the scope of "production techniques" and evolved into an "absolute respect for quality" — this respect runs through every link, from raw material selection to after-sales service, becoming the deepest trust asset of the brand. "Gekkeikan" sake, founded in 1615, is one of Japan's oldest sake brands. To ensure the quality of its sake, Gekkeikan insists on growing its own rice: selecting the "Yamadanishiki" variety suitable for sake brewing, adopting organic farming methods without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. During the brewing process, it strictly controls temperature and humidity, and even has a rule that "brewers must personally taste each batch of sake to confirm that the taste meets standards before it leaves the factory". Even in the fiercely competitive Japanese sake market today, Gekkeikan still maintains its position with stable quality, and many families have chosen this brand for generations. Another example is "MUJI" (founded in 1899, though it advocates a "no-brand" concept, its supply chain mostly consists of time-honored workshops). Its core competitiveness lies precisely in its control of "craftsmanship and quality": whether it is a pure cotton T-shirt or a ceramic bowl, all products undergo strict raw material screening and process testing to ensure they are formaldehyde-free, odor-free, and meet durability standards. This ultimate focus on quality has made consumers form the perception that "buying a time-honored brand = buying peace of mind", and even if the price is higher, they are willing to pay for this trust.
In today's era of globalization and digitalization, Japanese time-honored brands are constantly exploring new boundaries of "Craftsmanship as the Core". On one hand, they use digital means to make traditional craftsmanship "visible": many time-honored brands have launched online live broadcasts where craftsmen demonstrate their handcrafting processes. For example, craftsmen from Ogawa Paper broadcast the washi-making technique, and brewers from Gekkeikan explain the sake-brewing process. This not only spreads traditional culture but also bridges the gap with young consumers. On the other hand, they actively expand into overseas markets to bring Japanese craftsmanship to the world: Shiseido has opened flagship stores globally to showcase Japanese skincare concepts; Tiger Corporation adjusts its product designs according to the consumption habits of different countries, such as launching larger-capacity thermoses for the European and American markets. These efforts have transformed century-old brands from "museum pieces" into "living heritages" that can interact with consumers around the world.
The transformation stories of Japanese time-honored brands offer profound insights to traditional brands worldwide: the true "Craftsmanship as the Core" is not blind adherence to the past, but "taking craftsmanship as the root and innovation as the wings" — retaining the core techniques and quality pursuit while being sensitive to the needs of the times, allowing old brands to find their place in a new context. After all, what consumers pursue is never "antiquity" itself, but the respect for quality and dedication to details behind that antiquity. From Edo-period handcraft workshops to today's global brands, Japanese time-honored brands have proven through a century of practice that as long as they hold fast to the original aspiration of "craftsmanship" and continuously innovate their ways of expression, they can always remain "young" in the tide of the times and continue writing their own legends.
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