‘Craftsmanship to pass down on the roots of traditional match production to the next generation’
The reminiscence of a Harima match manufacturer - 86 years after its foundation.
Match manufacturing technology was introduced from Europe to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868 -1912). Before long, the match manufacturing industry grew and matches made in Japan became an export item because of their high quality. Especially the area stretching from Kobe to Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture prospered as a cluster of match manufacturers, advantage of the geographical proximity of Kobe Port, which made it easier for them to do business with foreign trading partners.
It was in Himeji with these distinct characteristics that the Kobe Match Corporation was founded in 1929. Still now, match production is its local industry, and it is said to have a 75% share of Japan’s total match production. Unfortunately, lighting a match, once a common scene in daily life, has gradually disappeared.
‘Matches don’t need to play a leading role. However, we would like to pass on the roots and tradition of our matches.’ With this thought in mind, since a several years ago we have made efforts to establish closer contacts with users through collaborative efforts such as the production of facsimile edition retro-matches and specially designed T-shirts.
