Company guide

Company profile

Name	MIZUTORI INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD
Address	1-18-22 Heiwa, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi. Shizuoka, Japan. Zip 420-0876
Tel	+81(0) 54-271-6787
Fax	+81(0) 54-272-1302
Email	info@mizutori.co.jp
Website	http://www.geta.co.jp

Representative Director: Masashi Mizutori
Established in 1937
Incorporated as a company on 1 April, 1975

Capital	¥10.000.000
Number of employees: 15
Business	Manufacture and sales of GETA
	Manufacture and processing of shoes and sandal parts
Bank	Bank of Shizuoka, Shizuhata Branch

Our values

Since foundation in 1937, Mizutori has been making footwear, a Shizuoka local industry. Our core value is that of a company of local artisans, dedicated to doing our utmost to help everyone enjoy a healthier, more comfortable and more enjoyable life style, by appreciating and wearing the finest Japanese geta.

Our dream

From a small, local artisan company in Shizuoka, Japan - to connect with the whole world in geta harmony!

Messages

“ I want GETA to be known all over the world. How can I do that?”

Everything started from there. GETA is footwear to develop in peaceful times. GETA is a part of a beautiful culture rooted in the Japanese climate. I wanted to create GETA that fit modern lifestyles and fashions, with various and colourful designs you can wear all day long without discomfort.

Also I like to use local, Shizuoka wood for my GETA. Thinning out the older trees and planting new ones revives the forests, improving their sustainability and their ability to absorb CO2. Well-planned harvesting and planting is vital to protect the natural cycle of the earth. Mizutori works on making effective use of Shizuoka wood, and developing products helpful to the environment. I am determined to continue my efforts and study.

Up till the Edo period (1603 –1868), GETA showed little improvement. However, during the Genroku era (1688 -1704), following the Meiji Restoration, and after the Second World War, GETA evolved significantly. GETA tend to develop during peaceful times. I want to keep making GETA, hoping that this era, when everyone can live in peace and wear GETA, will continue.

Masashi Mizutori, President

“Taking GETA to the next level, promoting the rebirth of local craftsmanship and environment."

I was born into a family that makes things, and I have grown up surrounded by the design and making of GETA and footwear, and that ideal of craftsmanship is part of me.

The Mizutori family has long been at the centre of local monozukuri, making things, and I have always been attracted by the role of beautiful things in promoting happiness. As time goes by, I have come to understand better and appreciate the appeal of GETA, the importance for local and Japanese life of the monozukuri tradition, and the affection in which GETA are held by everyone, not only by my father and all the Mizutori family and business partners.

I want to involve young people, and make Mizutori of my home town, Shizuoka, a well-loved international company of craftsmen, making beautiful things for a better future for all.

Yukiko Mizutori, Executive vice-president

History

1937:	The founder, Taichi Mizutori produces wood dai for GETA at 118 Heiwa-cho, Shizuoka-shi.
1963:	Start of production of sandal materials and insoles for shoes.
1975:	Establishment of MIZUTORI INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
1985:	Masashi Mizutori becomes President.
1989:	Start of new geta-making.
1993:	Development and manufacture of “Geta Monogatari”.
2003:	Joint experiments conducted with Shizuoka University on the health effects of geta.
2004:	Launch of “Hinoki no Hakimono” collaboration with costume designer Kodue Hibino.
	Participated “Maison et Object” international design trade fair in Paris.
2008:	Launch of men’s GETA series: “SAJIN” and “BLADE”.
2009:	Launch of “SHIKIBU”, based on traditional Japanese GETA.
2010:	Launch of “two piece” collaborating with DRILL DESIGN
2011:	Start of m2 project, to collaborate with prominent artists, including Yuri Inagaki from Shizuoka, and use various materials for GETA. (m2 is a coined word. m2=mizutori x material)
	Exhibited at the Interior Life-style Show, Mesago Messe Frankfurt.
2012:	Three collaborations as a part of the project m2
	Use hanao cloth designed by [koha*], a Kyoto textile designer, and by Keiich Muramatsu, a Shizuoka fashion designer.
	Use Kokura weave ”SHIMA-SHIMA” for straps.
2013:	As a part of m2 project, use tatami hem of “Kagura-ya”, a bag maker specializing in tatami hems.
2014:	Yukiko Mizutori assumes position of Managing Director.
	As a part of m2 project, use materials from “Urushi Sakamoto”, a long-established lacquerware store in Aizu-Wakamatsu.

1937: The founder, Taichi Mizutori produces wood dai for geta at 118 Heiwa-cho, Shizuoka-shi.

1993: Development and manufacture of “Geta-Monogatari”.

2004: Launch of “Hinoki no Hakimono” collaboration with costume designer Kodue Hibino.

2008: Launch of men’s geta series: “Sajin” and “BLADE”.

2009: Launch of “SHIKIBU”, based on traditional Japanese geta.

2010: Launch of “two piece” collaborating with DRILL DESIGN

2011: Start of m2 project, to collaborate with prominent artists, including Yuri Inagaki from Shizuoka, and use various materials for geta.

2013: As a part of m2 project, use tatami hem of “Kagura-ya”, a bag maker specializing in tatami hems. 2012: Use Kokura weave ”SHIMA-SHIMA” for straps

2014: As a part of m2 project, use materials from “Urushi Sakamoto”, a long-established lacquerware store in Aizu-Wakamatsu.

Click image to enlarge.

Awards

2007:	Business Guide 63rd Tokyo International Gift Show: Active Design & Craft Award: Second Prize, for Hinoki Footwear.
2009:	Business Guide 67th Tokyo International Gift Show: Healthy and Ecological Zone, 3 stars.
	Shizuoka Prefecture, Good Design Shizuoka Incentive, for Sajin.
2010:	Shizuoka City Shizuoka Aoi: Premium Attestation, for Sajin.
	Business Guide 70th Tokyo International Gift Show: New Product Contest Grand Prize, for SHIKIBU.
2011:	Shizuoka City Shizuoka Aoi: Premium Attestation, for SHIKIBU.
2012:	Shizuoka City Shizuoka Aoi: Premium Attestation, for two-piece.
	Ladies' Network21 for Verdant Forests, Forestry Forum: Wood in Fashionable Life.
2013:	Shizuoka City Shizuoka Aoi: Premium Attestation, for m2, SENSE, Humming, Yutori KC-16,17.
	Nihon Keizai Shinbun Industrial Environment Assn, EcoProducts 2013 Shizuoka Prefecture Exhibited.
2014:	Shizuoka City Shizuoka Aoi: Premium Attestation, for Hinoki Footwear.
	Japan Web Users Assn, 26th Japan Web Special Assn Prize!