In the world of traditional crafts, it has long been taken for granted that skills are passed down through bloodlines.

However, Chisato Kumakura, the 3rd-generation head of Edo Kiriko Hanashyo, challenges this conventional wisdom. She created a new framework called "Team 3rd Generation," where everyone involved in the workshop carries on the tradition together.

At her core is a belief unchanged since her history-loving childhood: "I want to cherish the potential of every single person." We traced her journey as she takes on the challenge of non-kinship succession at an Edo Kiriko workshop whose creations have even been chosen as state gifts for foreign dignitaries.

Traditional Edo Kiriko Artisans Chosen Time and Again for Their Craftsmanship

Kameido in Koto Ward, Tokyo, is an area steeped in traditional downtown charm. Located near Kameido Tenjin Shrine, famous for housing the deity of learning, stands Edo Kiriko Hanashyo.

"Edo Kiriko originated during the Edo period in present-day Nihonbashi Odenmacho. It all began when Kyubei Kagaya, an owner of a glass shop, used emery powder to engrave designs onto glass surfaces."

In the past, without machinery, artisans carved each piece by hand using stones. In the Meiji period, with the establishment of the state-run Shinagawa Glass Works, the modern technique of grinding with motors was established.

Kumakura Glass Industry, the predecessor to Hanashyo, was founded in 1946. First-generation artisan Mokichi Kumakura, whose craftsmanship won high recognition, struck out on his own. At the time, the shop manufactured products as a subcontractor for glass manufacturers.

"Both the design and materials were predetermined, making it purely processing work. Not only were artisans unable to design their own pieces, but compensation remained the same regardless of technical excellence. My father, Ryuichi, the second-generation head, constantly questioned this structure."

So in the 1990s, the second-generation head established Edo Kiriko Hanashyo to sell directly to consumers. He created original patterns such as kome-tsunagi (interlocking rice grains), launching works that combined artistic beauty with originality.

"In 2008, Hanashyo's Edo Kiriko was displayed at an exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of Japan-France diplomatic relations held at the Louvre Museum. Furthermore, at the G8 Toyako Summit, kome-tsunagi wine glasses were selected as official gifts for visiting world leaders. Recognized for his exceptional craftsmanship, the second-generation head was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Single Rays in 2024."

From History Teacher to Joining the Family Edo Kiriko Business

Raised as the daughter of an Edo Kiriko artisan, Kumakura says she had never considered getting involved in the family business.

"When I was a child, Hanashyo didn't exist yet, and all the artisans were men. I had never even helped out. Today artisans are considered cool, but back then people looked down on them, thinking corporate employees had higher status."

As a child, her passion was history. She avidly read books and manga on Japanese history, dreaming of one day becoming a history teacher.

"I wondered things like, 'Why did this family line end after three generations?' or 'Why did Ieyasu Tokugawa build a system like this?' I was deeply interested in people. I felt that of all school subjects, history is the one that deals most closely with human nature."

When asked about her favorite historical anecdote, she shared an episode from the late Edo period when the Black Ships arrived.

"Senior Councilor Masahiro Abe introduced a council system for the first time, which led to the appointment of Kaishu Katsu and ultimately the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle. I was moved by the importance of deciding things collectively and realized that when someone provides opportunities, a wide variety of people can shine."

At the time, teaching positions were scarce and many university departments offered social studies teaching credentials, making full-time employment difficult to secure. After working as a temporary teacher at several schools, she ended up joining the family business at age 30.

"Having served as a homeroom teacher—a lifelong dream—I felt a sense of fulfillment in my teaching career. Around that time, I was asked to help Hanashyo apply for a business subsidy utilizing local resources. Seeing just how much work needed to be done, I officially joined the company."

Tradition Is Built by Newcomers Constantly Evolving

However, joining Hanashyo brought to light various challenges that had previously been invisible.

"I felt it was a workshop with little conversation," she recalls. "My father and mother had a huge influence, creating a culture where other artisans found it difficult to voice their opinions."

At the root of this was a disparity between the successor candidates expected to carry on the tradition and the other artisans.

"My father's techniques were to be inherited by my younger brother, a blood relative. But the other artisans were essentially expected just to follow my father's orders and do their work."

There was also a power imbalance between the artisans who crafted the glass and the sales staff who sold it, with the artisans holding overwhelming sway. Kumakura herself worked in sales to support her younger brother.

"I want to respect people. Everyone is doing their best in life, so I believed no one has the right to rank people as superior or inferior. But that clashed with my father, who prioritized tradition, making it a painful time for me."

In 2016, Hanashyo opened a shop in Nihonbashi, the birthplace of Edo glass. Interactions with long-established Nihonbashi businesses gave Kumakura a major push forward.

"They were all long-established shops with centuries of history, so at first I was intimidated, worrying, 'What if a newcomer like me acts impolitely?' But one day, someone from one of those veteran shops told me: 'Edo is a place built by newcomers coming together, so everyone here is a newcomer. That hasn't changed even after hundreds of years.'"

Tradition might simply be what newcomers have continued to create while adapting to changing times. Realizing this felt like the world suddenly opened up before her.

Deciding Together, Inheriting Together: "Team 3rd Generation"

In 2024, an unexpected opportunity came to Kumakura. When her younger brother fell ill, she was chosen as the successor.

"To be honest, I had mixed feelings," she says. "I hadn't been trained as a successor, and since I worked in sales, I didn't possess artisan skills. I wondered how on earth I was going to manage."

If she couldn't do it alone, they could pull through by supporting one another.

As for the crafting techniques, the two top apprentice artisans took over the previous master's skills under the name "Hana-gumi." And everyone—including both sales staff and artisans—decided to inherit Hanashyo together as "Team 3rd Generation."

"We decide things as a team. We schedule regular meetings, and when we need to discuss something, we post it in our LINE group chat. It's important that everyone voices their opinion and we make decisions together."

Since communication had been sparse, she started by taking staff out for drinks. Learning about each other's hobbies made it easier to exchange opinions openly at work. Believing it was vital for artisans to be exposed to a broader world, she also encouraged the two Hana-gumi members to participate in business book reading groups at a Publishing house.

"After joining the book club, they started taking ownership and thinking about what they could do for the company. I was deeply moved to see how much people can grow. Roles really do shape people."

Questioning the Essence and Opening Up the Possibilities of Non-Kinship Succession

The efforts of the third-generation team are beginning to draw the spotlight, earning recognition such as winning in the Family Business Category at the "第1回あとむすアワード2026"—which honors female executives and successors inheriting family businesses—and taking home the Grand Prize in the Individual Category at the "WE CHANGE AWARDS 2026".

To deepen her reflection from an academic perspective, she makes time in her busy schedule to research succession through cultural anthropology as a doctoral student in Takeshi Nakajima's lab at Institute of Science Tokyo.

"I originally attended business school, but I couldn't shake off a sense of discomfort. That was when I came across Professor Nakajima's book, "思いがけず利他", and was deeply moved. In my excitement, I wrote him a letter saying, 'I believe inheriting tradition is also a form of altruism,' which led to him inviting me to join his graduate program."

Studying cultural anthropology in graduate school gave her a perspective to re-examine the essence and underlying structures through observation and fieldwork.

"If succession isn't working well, the problem lies in the structure, not the individual. Looking at it from that perspective, deciding to take on this work was, I believe, the beginning of my journey toward thinking about non-kinship succession."

To address this issue, she established the "継承デザイン研究所" in Kanda, Tokyo. Alongside her main business, she is creating a platform to support business succession and non-kinship succession.

"I believe succession is about receiving something with gratitude and constantly pondering how to pass it on to the next generation. It is something public, rather than private.

That is why, to keep connecting the chain, we must continue to question the essence. Rather than obsessing over blood ties, having a few dedicated craftspeople inherit it might actually preserve the tradition better."

"I want to further expand platforms and systems where craftspeople who couldn't become successors in the past can thrive," says Kumakura. The third-generation team continues to create new traditions while unlocking the possibilities of diverse individuals.