Given the timing of our relocation to Motomachi, Yokohama, I would like to take this opportunity to talk a little about the history of Uchimura, which I have not had the opportunity to talk about until now.
Uchimura was established in 1945, and the first generation was my grandmother. People often ask me, "Oh? So it wasn't your grandfather?", but it seems that it was started by my grandparents, but my grandfather disappeared along the way... I 've never heard much about that, even though I'm his grandson, but in the Uchimura history textbook it says that the first generation was my grandmother (laughs).
The first shop was in Tsurumi, Yokohama. It was there for about 10 years. I was surprised, too, but it turned out to be a candy store, not a watch or eyeglass store (laughs).
This was his main job, but my grandfather was very dexterous and would repair watches for people living in the neighborhood on his porch, which gained a reputation and led to the store opening up. It's a story that truly reflects the relaxed nature of the Showa era, and is perhaps the most interesting story of the time. But I'm also very fond of this story.
My first grandma and I
This is the first grandma. She has a hairstyle whose name is unknown, and although I don't really understand it, she has a certain aura about her (lol).
It seems she was a pretty enthusiastic manager. To begin with, I think there were very few female managers in those days, and she seems to have had a large family that employed dozens of watch repair craftsmen.
She also makes proposals for jewelry, and there are photos like this one that are reminiscent of the Showa era. When the station building (Sotetsu Rosen) was built in Mitsukyo, there was a plan to open a store in the building because it should be a prosperous place in the future! When I found the proposal from that time, I thought my grandma was crazy (laughs).
Second Father
The second generation was my father. He had been helping out with the family business since he was in middle school, running errands for craftsmen and delivering wall clocks, and he told me how embarrassed he was when a pendulum clock stopped ringing while he was on a train during a delivery.
My father has been working in the family business for about 60 years, including helping out as a child. It's amazing, and unthinkable in this day and age. For better or worse, he's never been outside, so he's even more ignorant of the world than I am, and for someone of his age, he has very little information.
Of course, there is a reason why my father has been able to continue Uchimura for so many years as the second generation owner, and I believe that it is without a doubt his "carefulness in his work." In fact, this is the only thing my father has (laughs).
My father is a person who does his work with the utmost care and attention to detail. (That's why the burden of work falls on me...)
The company motto created by my father is "Make with care." It means that we put care first, even more than just making glasses or repairing watches. I really like this phrase and think it's wonderful.
In my next blog, I would like to focus on the phrase "creating carefulness" and "taking over the family business" and talk a little about myself as the third generation.