Chunichi Shimbun to Release 'Promise: The Story of a Man Who Built a Popular Ginza Kimono Shop in a Single Generation' (Tokyo Shimbun Books Label) on April 25
Chunichi Shimbun will release 'Promise,' the autobiography of Hiroaki Motoji, founder of the Ginza kimono shop 'Ginza Motoji,' on April 25. The book chronicles the life of a young man who, after his dreams were dashed, went on to build a successful store in the prime district of Ginza, also depicting his contributions to Japan's kimono culture.
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The kimono shop 'Ginza Motoji' offers kimonos loved by connoisseurs, seeking the utmost quality in everything from raw silk to weaving and dyeing. This is the life story of the founder who built the shop in a single generation, recounting his rise from the depths after his dream of being a long-distance runner was shattered, and how he made his store prosper in the competitive prime location of Ginza, holding to the creed of 'keeping promises to customers.'
**[Book Contents]**
- Prologue: The Boy on the Mountain Pass
- Chapter 1: The Road to Ginza
- Chapter 2: Breaking the Industry's Conventions
- Chapter 3: Encounter with a Master
- Chapter 4: Keeping the Passion Alive
**[Author's Biography]**
Hiroaki Motoji, born in 1949 in Tatsugo, Amami-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture. After training at a kimono wholesaler and raising funds through ventures like collecting used paper, he founded 'Motoji Gofukuten' (now Ginza Motoji) in 1979. Likening his life to the marathon he ran in his youth, he passed the presidency to his eldest son in 2022, 42 years after its founding, and became chairman. Aiming to develop kimono culture, he handles works from dyeing and weaving regions and artists across Japan, including Oshima Tsumugi, while also discovering and supporting the next generation to carry kimono culture into the future and producing kimonos from purely domestic silkworm breeds.
**[Bibliographic Information]**
- Format: 4x6 size, softcover, 180 pages
- Price: 1,650 yen (1,500 yen + tax)
- Publisher: Chunichi Shimbun
1-6-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya, 460-0011
TEL: 052-221-1714, FAX: 052-221-0587, https://www.chunichi.co.jp/corporate/nbook
- ISBN: 978-4-8062-0845-7
**[Book Contents]**
- Prologue: The Boy on the Mountain Pass
- Chapter 1: The Road to Ginza
- Chapter 2: Breaking the Industry's Conventions
- Chapter 3: Encounter with a Master
- Chapter 4: Keeping the Passion Alive
**[Author's Biography]**
Hiroaki Motoji, born in 1949 in Tatsugo, Amami-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture. After training at a kimono wholesaler and raising funds through ventures like collecting used paper, he founded 'Motoji Gofukuten' (now Ginza Motoji) in 1979. Likening his life to the marathon he ran in his youth, he passed the presidency to his eldest son in 2022, 42 years after its founding, and became chairman. Aiming to develop kimono culture, he handles works from dyeing and weaving regions and artists across Japan, including Oshima Tsumugi, while also discovering and supporting the next generation to carry kimono culture into the future and producing kimonos from purely domestic silkworm breeds.
**[Bibliographic Information]**
- Format: 4x6 size, softcover, 180 pages
- Price: 1,650 yen (1,500 yen + tax)
- Publisher: Chunichi Shimbun
1-6-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya, 460-0011
TEL: 052-221-1714, FAX: 052-221-0587, https://www.chunichi.co.jp/corporate/nbook
- ISBN: 978-4-8062-0845-7