The best Kotto Dori in Japan is here

2016.10.18

Do you know that Higashinaka-dori, which spans Kyobashi and Nihonbashi, is also known as Kotto Dori (antique street)?
Originating in the Edo period, it has been home to the largest number of antique and fine art dealers in Japan since Taisho and Showa, and even today in Heisei.
Before the war, Rosanjin also set up shop here, and the area was bustling, attracting connoisseurs and other related parties.
The owners of three representative shops in the area will gather to talk about the town’s history and future.

 

Participants: Kunihiro Iida (Iidakojitsudo), Tadashi Kawashima (Mayuyama Ryusendo (MAYUYAMA & CO., LTD.)), Kusaomi Kuroda (Rokeian)
MC: Takehide Ito, Representative of ME NO ME, an antique magazine

  • Kunihiro Iida, Iidakojitsudo

    Born in Oita in 1943. Dropped out of the Faculty of Business Administration, Hosei University.

    After training at NAKANISHI SHOHOKEN in Kyoto, he took over Iidakojitsudo from his predecessor in 1972. Executive director of Daishikai, a public interest incorporated foundation.

     

    Tadashi Kawashima, CEO of MAYUYAMA & CO., LTD.

    Born in Tokyo in 1963. After graduating from the Department of Art and Literature, Faculty of Arts and Literature, Seijo University in 1988, he joined Mayuyama Ryusendo, a long-established store of Oriental antique art.

    Held his current position since 2012. Director of Tokyo Art Dealer Association. Editorial committee member of Japan Ceramic Society’s Tosetsu.

     

    Kusaomi Kuroda, CEO of Rokeian and Shibuya Kurodatoen

    Born in Kanagawa in 1943. Graduated from Faculty of Economics, Meiji Gakuin University.

    CEO of Kurodatoen in Shibuya, Tokyo. He has planned and produced many exhibitions and solo exhibitions, mainly of modern and contemporary ceramic artists, including Rosanjin, such as Daibizen Ten and  Kitaoji Rosanjin  Ten. In 2013, he opened Rokeian on the site of the former TAIGADO Geijutsuten and Bishoku Club, where Kitaoji Rosanjin was the owner.

    He has written many books, including “What I Learned from Uncle Rosanjin: Biographies of Potters.”

– There are many antique shops in Kyobashi and Nihonbashi. Mayuyama Ryusendo (hereafter referred to as Ryusendo) is one of the oldest.

 

Kawashima Our founder, Matsutaro Mayuyama, went to Beijing to become an art dealer in 1905, so we consider that to be the year of our founding. At the time, Beijing was the hub of the art market, and Matsutaro came into contact with all kinds of antique art and learned about business. After achieving initial success, he moved to Tokyo in 1916. It was in 1920 that the elegant store was established in its current location. Matsutaro wrote in his diary at the time, “The foundation of the Mayuyama family has been finally solidified,” so he must have felt that he had laid the foundation here.
Three years later, the Great Kanto Earthquake hit, which happened to be the opening day of Imperial Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Ryusendo was planning to open a branch there, so we evacuated our products there before the fire. Even during the war, many of the masterpieces that we delivered to our customers survived the damage caused by war because they evacuated along with their goods. I think masterpieces survive by some kind of destiny.

 

– What is the history of Iidakojitsudo (hereafter referred to as Kojitsudo)?

 

Iida My predecessor was born in Nagoya. He worked as its manager at Chikazen in Nihonbashi that my relative owned. He became independent in 1941 and opened his shop in Nishikubo Tomoe-cho (now Toranomon 3-chome). After the war, in 1948, he bought land from joiner Nansai Maeda and moved the store to the current location. Kabutocho was nearby, and many of our customers were stockbrokers.

 

– Has the store been dealing in tea utensils all that time?

 

Iida Yes. I took over the store after my predecessor passed away in 1972.

 

– I heard that Kurodatoen was also founded in Nihonbashi (it moved to Shimbashi after the war).

 

Kuroda My father (Ryoji) established Kurodatoen on Nakadori Street in Nihonbashi in 1935. The year before, he met Kitaoji Rosanjin and fell in love with his ceramics, so he opened a store exclusively for his work. Eventually, he began to handle works by other potters. Would it be better to say that he tailored them to be potters? He started selling works that had been labeled made at XX kiln in a cottage industry, with the individual names of the makers at the forefront. The existence of ceramic artists was established quite late, and in the decade from 1955 to 1964 the Cultural Properties Protection Committee began to take action, and titles, such as Living National Treasure, were born. After the war, my father interacted with artists who were designated Living National Treasures and masters.

 

– Pioneer of contemporary ceramic art galleries. Why did you decide to reopen Rokeian in Kyobashi two years ago?

 

Kuroda That place is the former site of the antique art shop TAIGADO Geijutsuten (renamed Bijutsuten the following year) that Rosanjin first opened in Kyobashi in 1919, so we felt it was a good fate to open our shop there. Thanks to Rosanjin’s kindness, my family moved to a two-story house (Dai-Ni Sanko-Kan) built in front of his Hoshigaoka Kiln (Kita-Kamakura) in 1937. My father commuted to his shop in Nihonbashi from there. In 1942, the mansion that Rosanjin introduced us to was moved nearby, and I was born there. After the war, I often went to Rosanjin’s house to run errands or to play with him.

 

– How did Rosanjin open his shop in Kyobashi in the first place?

 

Iida Okamoto Katei, a calligrapher living in Kyobashi 1-chome and the grandfather of Okamoto Taro, and Rosanjin was his student.

 

Kuroda  Okamoto Katei opened a calligraphy class, and Rosanjin was in charge of it. As he went back and forth through Kyobashi because of this connection, his house became filled with his antique collection (lol), and since it was getting in the way, he decided to sell it, and so he started TAIGADO. But after the First World War, the economy went into a recession, and the number of antique shoppers plummeted. A person who had close ties with Rosanjin suggested that he open a restaurant since he loved cooking. In 1921, he opened a members-only Bishoku Club on the second floor of the same building. He was particular about ingredients and served foods in antiques that he owned, which was why the restaurant became popular. According to his biography, rows of black cars lined up and police officers came for traffic control.

 

Iida Rosanjin married the daughter (Seki Fujii) of the publisher Matsuyama-do in Kyobashi. Also, during the Great Kanto Earthquake, there is a photo of a sign under the eaves of TAIGADO that read “Drinking water available,” and they offered water to people.

 

Kuroda In the end, his restaurant was burned down in a fire that broke out in Kanda on the night of the earthquake, so he opened Hana no Chaya in Shiba Park. In 1925, he opened the legendary members-only high-class restaurant Hoshigaoka Saryo in the forest of the Hie Shrine in Akasaka Sannodai.

  • Higashinaka-dori (parallel street between Chuo-dori and Showa-dori) in the Taisho period (before the Great Kanto Earthquake). Where Yomo Saketen was located, Mayuyama Ryusendo was built in 1920. Even now, there are nearly 100 antique art dealers concentrated in Kyobashi, Nihonbashi, and Ginza (Courtesy of Iidakojitsudo).

Why Japan's top antiques store was born in the Kyobashi/Nihonbashi area.

– So Kyobashi was Rosanjin’s starting point. Did already so many stores gather in it that it could be called an antiques town?

 

Iida There were many. In the past, Nihonbashi had more. Jintsu Kogando was located near the loading entrance of Takashimaya, and Kawabe Shokai was next to it. Tamonten was also located and Sansei a short walk away. Then Itami was located where Kurihara is now. Nakamura Kokodo is located near Bridgestone. Horitsu was on Chuo-dori. Written on this old map I brought with me today. This was left to us by Keisaku Shibata (an art dealer active in the early Showa period, who became head of Matsunaga Kinenkan after his retirement).

 

– After the Meiji period, powerful antique dealers were established in Nihonbashi, and they spread to Kyobashi.

 

Kuroda During the Edo period, this area was the castle town of Edo, and apparently there were many purveyors, and the tool shop was one of them. My shop was in Minamisaya-cho, a former town where many craftsmen dealt with sword sheaths. They probably took on repairs to samurai tools. Even in the Taisho period, Rosanjin seems to have been pleased that Chinese repair shops would occasionally set up stalls on Higashinaka-dori Street.

 

Iida Of the four Edo Kano schools, which were the largest school of painting in the Edo period and advanced to Edo, the Nakabashi Kano family (Nakabashi was a bridge that stood where Yaesu-dori and Chuo-dori now intersect) lived in this neighborhood. A little further on, at the Kajibashi Kano family, Kano Tanyu lived (along with Naonobu of the Kobikicho Kano family and Minenobu of the Hamacho family).Painters lived here since ancient times, as well as craftsmen who turned products into ornaments, fittings, and sheathes, and there were even tool shops that repaired and recycled these.

 

– In modern times, tool shops remained and became art dealers…. Times change, but Ryusendo is famous for being a favorite of Kawabata Yasunari.

 

Kawashima It is said that Kawabata’s first purchase was Juben Jugi Zu around 1950. It was later designated a national treasure, so he must have had a keen eye for it.

 

Kuroda Rosanjin also said that he chose Kyobashi because it was home to Mayuyama Ryusendo and Mitoko. So, it’s a town that attracts good customers. He  not only had a good eye but also a refined palate, which is probably why his restaurant was successful.

 

Iida Before the war, there was a bar called Sasaya in front of where Rosanjin’s shop, TAIGADO, was located. People would brag about their purchases at antique shops. People could order eel at the famous eel restaurant Komantsu and wait for it to be cooked while looking at antiques at Ryusendo. (lol)

 

Kuroda It takes a long time to cook eel.(lol)

 

Iida Looking at the map, you can see that in the old days, there was a comedy hall and a bathhouse in the town, and people could complete their daily lives within the neighborhood.

 

– There are art sellers, good buyers, such as gents, and good shops. That’s why antique dealers continued to gather here even after the earthquake and the war. How would you compare it to other antique districts in Tokyo?

 

Iida Chikazen and Jintsu Kogando started in Nihonbashi, but after suffering from earthquakes and war damage, they moved to Aoyama or Shirokane.

 

Kawashima I heard that our founder, Matsutaro, came from Toyama, relying on Yutaro Jintsu, who had a shop in Kyobashi.

 

– There are many antique shops from Toyama.

 

Iida Our business is different from supermarkets and department stores because each shop carries different items. Depending on the customer’s request, we would suggest “Try that store over there,” or we would introduce each other and coexist.

 

Kuroda Chinese customers came in and said, “We don’t have anything from China!” So, we told them to go to Ryusendo.

 

– Rokeian is like a theme park of Rosanjin.

  • TAIGADO Bijutsuten, which Rosanjin opened in Kyobashi (then Minamisaya-cho) in 1919. A rare photo taken just after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, before it was destroyed by fire. The sign “Drinking water available” can be seen on the eaves (Courtesy of Iidakojitsudo)

  • Higashinaka-dori street in the Taisho period. You can see one pulling a large cart (Courtesy of Iidakojitsudo)

What we can do for new customers, such as foreigners and young people, and for the next generation.

– Tokyo Art & Antiques is also an innovative initiative.

 

Kawashima We keep the entrance door open all day so that customers can pick up the items, and we also hold short gallery talks. When you think of antique shops, you might imagine them as being intimidating, and only dealing with discerning customers, but that’s not our intention at all.

 

Kuroda Anything can be a trigger. I would be happy if more people, after having the opportunity to visit art shops, would say, “I want to become an antique art dealer myself.”

 

Iida The great thing about this town is that it doesn’t reject that kind of thing. Rather than shutting out rivals, there’s a sense of gaining more allies.

 

Kawashima In our business, we rarely have customers who just come into the store and buy something straight away. Over the course of meeting and talking with the customer several times, they gradually become influenced by the color of the piece. People stop by while out for a walk, wondering if there’s anything interesting, and that’s how connections are made. Since there are many highly trusted shops along Kotto Dori, it’s the perfect town for people who want to try their hand at antique art.

 

– Are you welcoming anyone to unexpected visits like that?

 

Everyone Of course!

 

Kawashima The first thing is for people to experience it. We live in an age where efficiency is valued, being able to obtain a lot of information in a short amount of time, but there are times in the antique district when this is not the case.

 

Kuroda It’s very important to pick up and look at items. Tableware is not something to look at, but something to use. I want people to use all five senses, such as the weight and feel of tableware.

 

Iida After all, it’s a business that is built on trust. For example, if a customer uses tea utensils that we sold at my shop at a tea ceremony and thinks they’ve been sold strange items, it would affect our credibility. We take pride in the fact that strange things never sell.

 

– Recently, young people and Chinese people have been opening shops, and there has been a lot of generational change within each shop. I think that by nature it is a difficult world to continue for generations.

 

Kawashima The world of antique dealers is very much a hobby, so it is not directly affected by the economy. Our shop deals in Chinese art, and in recent years, the number of wealthy people in China has been increasing, and the market has been expanding. And of course, their sensibilities are different from those of Japanese people. Rather than appreciating beautiful things, they are seen more as investment targets. But experience sharpens your senses. In recent years, there has been interest in Japanese art, and the customer base and the range of works are expanding, which I think is a good trend.

 

Iida  Chinese customers are very happy when we tell them about the history of a particular item, such as, “This item belonged to a feudal lord in the past.”

 

Kuroda Some foreign customers seem more Japanese than Japanese people. They know so much about Japan that it makes us feel flustered. One foreign customer has decorated his home in a Japanese style like a museum or tea house.

 

Kawashima Japanese people take good care of things, so in Chinese markets, for example, a Japanese collection is a premium item. Kyobashi and Nihonbashi are among the biggest antique streets in Japan. I hope that local governments will promote this with that awareness. As Japan becomes a tourist destination, I think the number of foreign visitors looking for antiques will increase.

 

– There are antiques from all over the world, so some kind of strategy would be good.

 

Iida The Tokyo Art Club held the Special Triennial Tobi Art Fair to commemorate the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and continues to hold it every three years. It is also the predecessor of the current Tobi Art Fair.

 

Kawashima The format of having art dealers set up booths in a large venue is originally a Western style. The Special Triennial Tobi Art Fair was the forerunner of fairs held at places like the Tokyo International Forum.

 

Iida I remember that Ryusendo and Kojitsudo had booths next to each other once. Important cultural properties were also on display.

 

Kawashima Only selected art dealers in Japan can exhibit at this event, so I remember there were a lot of museum-class masterpieces all in one place.

 

– Perhaps it would be good to go back to basics and do something like this for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Thank you for today.

  • Iidakojitsudo

     

    Deals with antique art, tea ceremony utensils, tea boxes, and modern connoisseur’s items.

    Address: 1-11-8 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku

    Tel: +81 (0)3-3561-2033

    Business hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Regular holidays: Sundays and public holidays

    Website: https://www.tokyoartantiques.com/gallery/iidakojitsudo/

  • Mayuyama Ryusendo (MAYUYAMA & CO., LTD.)

     

    Deals with oriental antique art.

    Address: 2-5-9 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku

    Tel: +81 (0)3-3561-5146

    Business hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Regular holidays: Sundays and public holidays

    Website: https://www.mayuyama.jp/

  • Rokeian

     

    Deals with works by Kitaoji Rosanjin. Features a tea room (Sanjo-daime mukougiri). On the floor are Rosanjin’s Toyo no Zu and iron-glazed Urigata Hanairi.

    Address: 2-9-9 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku

    Tel: 03-6228-7704

    Business hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Regular holidays: Sundays and public holidays

    Website: https://www.kurodatoen.co.jp/

PHOTOGRAPH: Shigeki Watanabe
Reprinted from Tokyo-jin July 2016 extra edition