Brand Focus K o r a n s h a
“Our products touch people’s hearts and this is exactly Koransha Style”
Understanding
Koransha style Japanese manufacturer Koransha has been at the forefront of Arita pottery for centuries, melding traditional techniques with modern designs. President of Koransha Co, Yuji Fukagawa tells us more about the company and their plans for the future. Can you tell us more about Koransha? This year marks 332 years since we were established when the firstgeneration Eizaemon Fukagawa started making porcelain potteries in Arita, Japan in 1689. Followed by the request by the Japanese government to create works in order to exhibit at the World Exposition held in Philadelphia, USA in 1876, we officially incorporated the company in 1875 and this gave rise to Koransha today. The sophisticated yet elegant porcelains acknowledged as “Koransha-style” have gained enormous popularity and excitement in Europe and the US and have been awarded gold awards at numerous World Expositions. Koransha has been an official purveyor to the Imperial Household which continues today.
Koransha has a long history, but how do you keep it current in today’s marketplace? First, in order to understand the consumer’s taste, we collect information from not only the porcelain and ceramic industry but also all tableware related products and analyze them from various aspects. Also, we rent out our products to consumers and reflect their real feedback into our products to improve them further, to suit our consumers needs and demands. Second, we collect information of designs and trends throughout the world every year to suggest new products from us to our consumers.
Japanese porcelain is admired worldwide, with many regions and
manufacturers well-known for their quality and distinctive style. What sets Koransha apart from its competitors both in Japan and globally? In regards to craftmanship, we have a strong commitment through every step starting with the base material. Also, we always make sure to only introduce products which are beyond our highest standards to our customers. This is the fruit of our traditional techniques which is supported by our long history. As for the products, we are very proud of our very thin base, delicate designs, and brightly colored glaze. Especially, our deep-blue colored glaze, which has been very popular and known as “Koransha Blue” among our customers.
Yuji Fukagawa, CEO (15th Generation)
What impact did the global pandemic have on Koransha and are you facing any continuing issues? In Japan, we were forced to cancel our annual event, the Arita Ceramics Market, two years in a row. Typically, it is where more than one million customers gather to purchase Arita-ware. Due to the state of emergency in Japan, there were less opportunities for people to shop for our products. Also, buyer demand dropped due to the recession caused by the pandemic. We still can’t have inbound tourists from overseas. Moreover, we still can’t exhibit at any trade shows where we usually cultivate new
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