The history of Ginza Tanizawa, the originator of the character for bag, \u9784<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When was the shop founded?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It was founded in 1874. Next year will be its 140th year.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was it always a bag shop?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- The founder, Teizo Tanizawa, came from Tochigi prefecture in 1874 and became involved in bag-making in what is currently Nihonbashi 3-Chome, back before the current word and character for a handbag existed The shop moved to its current location in 1890.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I heard that it was Tanizawa that first proposed the character for bag, \u9784.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. There was no word for bag\/briefcase at the time. Teizo submitted a bag with a carrying handle to the first national industrial exhibition in 1877 and received an award for it, but the word for the product on the certificate was \u63d0\u56a2 (=teino, meaning \u201cbag with a carrying handle\u201d). When it came time to sell the product at the first Tokyo prefectural bazaar, that was a place with a similar function to a modern department store, there was some debate about what to call it and it ended up being written with the two characters, \u9769 (=kawa, meaning \u201cleather\u201d) and \u5305 (=hou, meaning \u201c\u201cwrap\u201d\u201d). Then, Teizo proposed merging the two characters into one character, \u9784, and reading it as kaban. This is supposedly the start of that character and word in Japan.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Wow, that\u2019s amazing!<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- That character already existed in China and was even in use at the time, but it was not added to the dictionary in Japan until 12 years after that.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_01.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nBirth of the Dulles bag \u2013 Tanizawa\u2019s long-cherished signature bag<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When I think of Tanizawa, I think of the famous Dulles bag.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Some customers have kept theirs in the family for two generations and many customers have used theirs for many, many years, repairing it as needed. Even today, all the bags are handmade by craftspersons in Japan.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was the bag originally designed by Tanizawa?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- No, it was originally a Western product, a type of business bag. It\u2019s the bag that was carried around by U.S. Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, when he came here to conclude the peace treaty with Japan. It captured the eye of Koshichi Tanizawa, the second shop president, who developed his own commercial version through trial and error and dubbed it the Dulles bag, selling it with the slogan, \u201cSymbol of Peace\u201d for the time period being just after the war ended.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- And it was a big hit?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It sold very well despite having a 5000 yen price tag back then. At a time when the starting salary of a university graduate was 8000 yen, that was pretty formidable.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s a really high-end product! It is testimony to how truly loved a bag it is that it continues to sell well even today in a different era despite being such a luxury bag.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_02.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDulles bag<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_03.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nGinza seasonal events and contributing to community development<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You became the chairman of the Ginza Association and of the Ginza Street Association this past April. What types of things are you doing?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- This year we are working on the street-side foliage. The current trees were planted as an experiment, and we are currently in the process of moving on to the full-scale stage while receiving advice from experts. Also, you can now get free WiFi in Ginza. We launched this service last year, mostly aimed at use by foreign tourists. We installed 13 access points on Ginza-dori last year and 9 on Harumi-dori this year, gradually expanding the service area.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Having free WiFi at your travel destination is really useful.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- We also hold events, Right now we are preparing for Autumn Ginza, an event that will be held right around the time this article is published. For example, the event includes Restaurant Week, where high-entry restaurants offer meals at set prices of 3000 yen for lunch and 10,000 yen for dinner, to make people feel easier about entering without reserve. The main event is Ginchakai , during which open air tea ceremony is held at various locations along Ginza-dori. The five tea ceremony schools will come together for the event, and each will hold tea ceremony at open air venues \u2013 a feat that surely has not been attempted elsewhere.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s a part of Ginza\u2019s fall scenery, isn\u2019t it?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- At Ginchakai, sweets from famous confectioners are offered along with the tea, and, this year, some spots are offering sweets from Tohoku shops.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That sounds wonderful.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Autumn Ginza is held until November 3, so please come and see it. After that we will have the year-end illumination. This year\u2019s theme will be \u201cRing of Hope\u201d and it will be lit up from December 3. It\u2019s certainly something to look forward to.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_04.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_05.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGinchakai, the main event in Autumn Ginza<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_06.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe charm of Ginza is that it values tradition and culture and is a place for everyone to enjoy<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How would you like Ginza to be in the future?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- I want Ginza to always keep its distinctive character. So you might ask, what exactly is this character? Well, in 1984, my predecessors formulated a Ginza Charter as guidelines for the Ginza district. It still hangs on the wall of the Ginza Street Association meeting room even now. It is centered on three pillars that are \u201cGinza is a traditional place with an abundance of creativity,\u201d \u201cGinza is a cultural place with high class and sensitivity,\u201d and \u201cGinza is an enjoyable place that is overflowing with internationalism.\u201d This is precisely what I feel is ideal for Ginza. I want Ginza to remain a place that values tradition, that cherishes commerce culture and theatre culture, and that is enjoyable for visitors. It is for this reason that I became a board member of the Ginza Street Association and I have to always consider what I could be doing for Ginza at any moment.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- For the last 16 years or so I\u2019ve been giving Ginza Mezamashi Classics concerts at Oji Hall. We chose Ginza because of how it carefully preserves traditions while at the same time incorporating new concepts \u2013 something that resonates with our own activities.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. What you have said describes Ginza perfectly.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Now we hold concerts all over Japan, but there are few places that fuse new concepts with tradition.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- You\u2019re probably right. This is exactly what Ginza\u2019s character is made of.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_07.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s Mr. Suzuki, president of Ginza Miyukikan, one of the most well-known caf\u00e9s in Ginza. Their mont blanc is very famous and is absolutely delicious. When going for the interview, please give it a try.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_26_08.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When was the shop founded?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It was founded in 1874. Next year will be its 140th year.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was it always a bag shop?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- The founder, Teizo Tanizawa, came from Tochigi prefecture in 1874 and became involved in bag-making in what is currently Nihonbashi 3-Chome, back before the current word and character for a handbag existed The shop moved to its current location in 1890.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I heard that it was Tanizawa that first proposed the character for bag, \u9784.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. There was no word for bag\/briefcase at the time. Teizo submitted a bag with a carrying handle to the first national industrial exhibition in 1877 and received an award for it, but the word for the product on the certificate was \u63d0\u56a2 (=teino, meaning \u201cbag with a carrying handle\u201d). When it came time to sell the product at the first Tokyo prefectural bazaar, that was a place with a similar function to a modern department store, there was some debate about what to call it and it ended up being written with the two characters, \u9769 (=kawa, meaning \u201cleather\u201d) and \u5305 (=hou, meaning \u201c\u201cwrap\u201d\u201d). Then, Teizo proposed merging the two characters into one character, \u9784, and reading it as kaban. This is supposedly the start of that character and word in Japan.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Wow, that\u2019s amazing!<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- That character already existed in China and was even in use at the time, but it was not added to the dictionary in Japan until 12 years after that.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Birth of the Dulles bag \u2013 Tanizawa\u2019s long-cherished signature bag<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When I think of Tanizawa, I think of the famous Dulles bag.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Some customers have kept theirs in the family for two generations and many customers have used theirs for many, many years, repairing it as needed. Even today, all the bags are handmade by craftspersons in Japan.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was the bag originally designed by Tanizawa?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- No, it was originally a Western product, a type of business bag. It\u2019s the bag that was carried around by U.S. Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, when he came here to conclude the peace treaty with Japan. It captured the eye of Koshichi Tanizawa, the second shop president, who developed his own commercial version through trial and error and dubbed it the Dulles bag, selling it with the slogan, \u201cSymbol of Peace\u201d for the time period being just after the war ended.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- And it was a big hit?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It sold very well despite having a 5000 yen price tag back then. At a time when the starting salary of a university graduate was 8000 yen, that was pretty formidable.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s a really high-end product! It is testimony to how truly loved a bag it is that it continues to sell well even today in a different era despite being such a luxury bag.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n
Dulles bag<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nGinza seasonal events and contributing to community development<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- You became the chairman of the Ginza Association and of the Ginza Street Association this past April. What types of things are you doing?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- This year we are working on the street-side foliage. The current trees were planted as an experiment, and we are currently in the process of moving on to the full-scale stage while receiving advice from experts. Also, you can now get free WiFi in Ginza. We launched this service last year, mostly aimed at use by foreign tourists. We installed 13 access points on Ginza-dori last year and 9 on Harumi-dori this year, gradually expanding the service area.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Having free WiFi at your travel destination is really useful.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- We also hold events, Right now we are preparing for Autumn Ginza, an event that will be held right around the time this article is published. For example, the event includes Restaurant Week, where high-entry restaurants offer meals at set prices of 3000 yen for lunch and 10,000 yen for dinner, to make people feel easier about entering without reserve. The main event is Ginchakai , during which open air tea ceremony is held at various locations along Ginza-dori. The five tea ceremony schools will come together for the event, and each will hold tea ceremony at open air venues \u2013 a feat that surely has not been attempted elsewhere.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s a part of Ginza\u2019s fall scenery, isn\u2019t it?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- At Ginchakai, sweets from famous confectioners are offered along with the tea, and, this year, some spots are offering sweets from Tohoku shops.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That sounds wonderful.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Autumn Ginza is held until November 3, so please come and see it. After that we will have the year-end illumination. This year\u2019s theme will be \u201cRing of Hope\u201d and it will be lit up from December 3. It\u2019s certainly something to look forward to.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n
Ginchakai, the main event in Autumn Ginza<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe charm of Ginza is that it values tradition and culture and is a place for everyone to enjoy<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How would you like Ginza to be in the future?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- I want Ginza to always keep its distinctive character. So you might ask, what exactly is this character? Well, in 1984, my predecessors formulated a Ginza Charter as guidelines for the Ginza district. It still hangs on the wall of the Ginza Street Association meeting room even now. It is centered on three pillars that are \u201cGinza is a traditional place with an abundance of creativity,\u201d \u201cGinza is a cultural place with high class and sensitivity,\u201d and \u201cGinza is an enjoyable place that is overflowing with internationalism.\u201d This is precisely what I feel is ideal for Ginza. I want Ginza to remain a place that values tradition, that cherishes commerce culture and theatre culture, and that is enjoyable for visitors. It is for this reason that I became a board member of the Ginza Street Association and I have to always consider what I could be doing for Ginza at any moment.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- For the last 16 years or so I\u2019ve been giving Ginza Mezamashi Classics concerts at Oji Hall. We chose Ginza because of how it carefully preserves traditions while at the same time incorporating new concepts \u2013 something that resonates with our own activities.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- Yes. What you have said describes Ginza perfectly.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Now we hold concerts all over Japan, but there are few places that fuse new concepts with tradition.<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- You\u2019re probably right. This is exactly what Ginza\u2019s character is made of.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Tanizawa<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s Mr. Suzuki, president of Ginza Miyukikan, one of the most well-known caf\u00e9s in Ginza. Their mont blanc is very famous and is absolutely delicious. When going for the interview, please give it a try.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n