The Unsung Hero Supporting Japanese Industry & Traditional Crafts

What are the differences between the hand-planted brushes that Terasawa manufactures and machine-planted brushes?

Hand-planted brushes are created by folding the hair material and planting it hole by hole, making them less likely to lose bristles and offering greater durability compared to machine-planted brushes. Most professionals who polish shoes tend to use hand-planted shoe brushes. In our workshop, most processes are done by hand, making mass production difficult, and we produce all our items on a made-to-order basis.

The hair materials used for brushes include natural horse hair, pig hair, and goat hair, as well as plant fibers and metal wires such as brass, wire, stainless steel, and bronze.

I had the opportunity to see the shoe brush Terasawa made earlier, and I was amazed at how densely packed the bristles were and how soft and fluffy they felt. What is the production ratio for household versus industrial brushes?

Approximately 70% of our production is for industrial brushes. The remaining 30% consists of household products like shoe brushes and clothing brushes. For industrial brushes, the recipients are mostly wholesalers, so we actually don't know how the end users utilize the brushes.

Honestly, I can't even guess how many products we currently have. For instance, we regularly plant 20 to 30 types of brushes monthly, but some are planted once a year or every three years. Even within shoe brushes, companies A and B have slight variations in specifications, which naturally increases the total number of products.

When thinking of brushes, one might imagine those with handles or oval-shaped shoe brushes, but large disc-shaped brushes are also handcrafted.

What do you think this is used for? In fact, this brush is used to polish glass art known as "Kiriko." Currently, we are producing brushes for Edo Kiriko from Tokyo, Satsuma Kiriko from Kagoshima, and Otaru Kiriko from Hokkaido.

After carving the glass, they use a brush with an abrasive to polish the surface. The bristles are made from the fibers of a plant called Paquin. We remove the bristles once they are shortened to a few millimeters and are in the process of replacing them with new ones.

This wooden mold for the disc has been used for a long time. As long as the wooden mold that serves as the base for the brush does not wear out or crack, it can be reused repeatedly just by replacing the bristles.

Even among the same type of Kiriko, the manufacturing methods appear to vary slightly by region. For example, it seems that a certain company in Kagoshima uses brushes frequently, as one company requests about six brush bristle replacements a month, while another requests two to three.

What difficulties do you encounter during production?

We typically make brushes with bristle lengths of 5 to 6 mm, but it becomes challenging to produce brushes with shorter bristle lengths. Especially with metal bristles, there are not many craftsmen left who can make brushes with such short lengths.

Additionally, it's difficult to plant bristles in molds with small holes or narrow spacing between the holes. Occasionally, we receive requests from customers for such items, which require specialized skills.

The Number of Bristles Planted in Each Hole is Determined Using Visual & Tactile Senses

Can you explain the specific workflow of the traditional "hand-planting" technique?

The process for industrial brushes, shoe brushes, and clothing brushes is generally similar. The work is broadly divided into the steps of "marking," "drilling holes," "polishing," "planting bristles," "fitting the back," "trimming," and "finishing."

First, based on the design sent by the customer, we place an order with the woodworking shop to create a wooden mold. Once the wooden mold is complete, we place a template indicating the positions of the holes on top of the mold and mark the positions using ink.

Next is the "two-step drilling" where we drill a large hole on one side and a smaller hole on the other side with a fine drill. If both sides had the same hole size, pulling the bristles through would cause them to fall out from the back. Therefore, we drill holes of different sizes on each side to ensure the bristles stay in place.
In the past, there were conical drills with tapered tips, but there are fewer craftsmen who make that tool nowadays. Although it adds an extra step, we now use a drill to create the two holes in succession.

After polishing the ink-stained areas with a machine, it's time for bristle planting. We thread a stainless wire through the holes in the wooden mold, take an appropriate amount of bristle bundles, fold them in half, and pull the wire to plant them into the holes.

Once all the holes have been filled, we fit a cover on the back side. For original products, the backplate clearly indicates the type of bristle used, with pig bristles marked with a pig stamp and horse bristles with a horse stamp. Finally, we trim the bristle lengths evenly and round the edges of the backplate to complete the process.

What do you find particularly difficult among these steps?

Indeed, the most challenging part is planting the bristles into the wooden mold. If there are too few bristles for the holes, they will fall out easily, but if there are too many, the stainless wire will break when pulled.

The wooden molds vary in size, and the types of bristles range from animal hair to metal. Choosing an appropriate amount of bristles according to the size of the holes relies on visual assessment and tactile feeling.

His Father's Words: "Handmade Brushes Will Never Disappear"

Can you tell us about the origins of your business?

The founder, my father, apprenticed with a brush artisan in Tsukishima, Chuo Ward. He then became independent and started the business in 1964. Initially, we operated in Tsukishima (currently Tsukuda, Chuo Ward, Tokyo), but later relocated to Kameido. This area was a typical working-class neighborhood, filled with small factories, including ironworks, but now most of them have been replaced by condos.

I joined the family business when I was 21. Since then, it's been my parents, my wife, and I working together, and after my father passed away in 2013, it has been just my wife and me making brushes.

Recently, when I interviewed the brush and paintbrush specialty store "Edoya," the issue of a shortage of craftsmen successors came up. What were your feelings about taking over the family business?

Having watched my father make brushes since I was little, it felt like a natural transition for me to join the family business. While my father didn't have what you would call foresight, he did say, "Handmade brushes absolutely won’t disappear." That gave me the determination to continue his work.

In reality, there are still people looking for handmade brushes, but on the contrary, the number of craftsmen who can create them is decreasing year by year. So, I believe it was the right decision to carry on my father's work.

However, as with any business, there are ups and downs. For instance, during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, our orders for handmade brushes decreased significantly. But now, those orders have returned. In my father's time, we only had existing customers, but now, we've adapted to the times by creating a website and using social media. This sometimes leads to new business opportunities as well.  

Many craftsmen inheriting traditional skills are older, so I didn't have the impression that they actively utilized online platforms, but you seem to make good use of them. Do many new inquiries come through your website and social media?

Yes, I frequently receive inquiries through our website and direct messages on Instagram.

The reason I started posting about brushes on Instagram was because my daughter's boyfriend advised me, saying, "Since you're operating under the name Terasawa Brush, you should post about brushes, not just your private life." From there, I gradually began sharing pictures of the brushes, and I can feel that it's spreading little by little.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we also saw a decline in orders for industrial brushes, which prompted us to start our own online shop. I consulted with a shoe polishing professional to create an original shoe brush during that time.

How many craftsmen making "handmade brushes" are there in the Tokyo area?

As far as I know, there are still a few businesses that work both on handmade and machine-made brushes, but those that specialize purely in handmade brushes, like us, are probably only about three to four in Tokyo. In the past, there were more than 80 brush manufacturers registered with the union, but now there are only about 16.

I've heard that even if someone becomes an apprentice, they may not continue as a craftsman. What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to become a brush craftsman?

We once received an inquiry asking if we have an apprenticeship program, but at this time, we have no plans to take on apprentices.

As you can see from watching the work, it can be physically demanding to sit all day from morning till night. There are a lot of repetitive tasks, and it’s a business that requires perseverance, so it might be quite tough for someone with a short attention span. I also tend to get bored easily, but I try to innovate in my own way, like changing the things I make every few hours within the day.

Of course, the price per brush has increased since I joined my father's shop. We often clashed over price increases back then. My father used to say, "If we raise prices, customers will stop coming." However, times have changed, and we craftsmen have to sustain our livelihoods. I think it's important to provide good quality at a fair price.

Have you had any memorable experiences while continuing the brush-making process?

I mentioned earlier that industrial brushes are "completely unknown in their uses." However, since starting the online shop and selling to individual customers, it's been delightful to witness customers repurchasing and introducing our brushes on social media. Seeing such moments truly brings joy.

I believe much of the motivation for creating new products comes from customer requests, but do you have any personal aspirations or visions for what you'd like to try in the future, Terasawa?

I've been thinking about creating pet brushes, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I have a few acquaintances who own pets, and they've encouraged me to "go for it," but I haven’t found the time. I have an idea to make a smaller version of a shoe brush, potentially with pig bristles.

Additionally, we accept direct orders from both companies and individuals, essentially crafting brushes in a custom-made format. This allows us to respond to the detailed requests of users. For instance, this shoe brush is finished with bristle lengths of 4 cm, but if someone requests a finish of 3 cm or 2.5 cm, we can adapt accordingly.

Recently, we had an order through our online shop for a "unique shoe brush," which involved stamping all kinds of animal branding. In this way, I hope to continue creating hand-plant brushes flexibly with the needs of users in mind.