Communicating the port town of Yokohama to the present and the future through bag making [Yokohama Hanpu Kaban]

Manufacturing
Creating things
Takumi's scenery

The site of this issue
[Occupation] Bag craftsman
[Takumi name] Yokohama canvas bag Yukio Suzuki
[Place] Bankokubashi, Yokohama

Carefully, slowly, and thoughtfully.
A corner that introduces the site of manufacturing that makes use of handwork.
This time, special vinylon used for ships, etc.
Commitment to domestic cotton canvas and materials, Yokohama area code
Even with the "045" brand signature
To the familiar "Yokohama Canvas Bag".

Simple and functional things are beautiful. "Yokohama Hanpu Kaban" is a form of these words. Excessive decoration is omitted, and the materials and parts are thoroughly selected. The two main materials used are vinylon canvas, which is used for ships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and domestic cotton canvas, which has a history of being successfully exported overseas since the early Showa period. “I wanted to make a unique bag, so I focused on materials that are unique to the port town of Yokohama. I want to deliver high-quality products with the ultimate outdoor specs, rather than mass consumption,” says Suzuki. Durable and high-quality materials, details such as easy-to-grip handles, and aesthetic design. We would like you to pick up “Yokohama originals” at the shop adjacent to the workshop at the edge of Bankokubashi.

2 minutes on foot from Bashamichi Station on the Minatomirai Line. Bankokubashi, which is also known as a scenic spot for the night view of Yokohama, and "Yokohama Hanpu Kaban", which has a workshop next to it. Next to it, there are also shops that renovated the space that was previously used as a workshop.

In 2013, Yukio Suzuki, who used to work for an apparel company, decided to create something unique to Yokohama, and founded Yokohama Hanpu Kaban. . During his time working for an apparel company, Mr. Suzuki witnessed mass production of hundreds of thousands of pieces of a single design in places such as China. When starting his own brand, he decided to focus on "manufacturing high-quality products that can be used for a long time, rather than mass consumption."

When you enter the workshop, various things such as the main canvas fabric, colorful threads, parts such as zip-ups, and sample bags will come into view. Although it was the first thing in the morning, Mr. Suzuki and other workshop staff had already quietly begun work, such as cutting cloth and sewing machines.

A hole is made in a sturdy vinylon canvas, and parts are attached there. A single bag is completed through these manual processes.

The photo below shows the work of chamfering the leather handle. A staff member at a store that sells "Yokohama Hanpu Kaban" said, "We heard from female customers that the rim of the leather handle touched their hands." From that time on, a process called chamfering was added.

A larger number can be produced by not chamfering. However, this chamfering work continues from Mr. Suzuki's idea of ``a better product that satisfies the user''. "I'm very grateful to have the bad parts voiced. No one praises me because it's natural to have the good parts (laughs), but I think that's okay." Mr. Suzuki, who says that Japanese people are good at devising ways to improve things, said that he completed 600 chamfers the day before the interview. There are 2 directions on each side, so we have made a total of 1,200 chamfers...a little effort to make it better...a lot of time is spent there.

This is a press that engraves the brand signature "045" etc. on leather with heat of about 120 degrees. This kind of steady work is repeated for each handle of the bag that you use casually.

We also asked about the materials that "Yokohama Hanpu Kaban" cherishes. “When I launched this brand, I wondered what would be Yokohama-like. Yokohama is a port town, and there used to be a shipbuilding factory in the past. I came across 'Takeyari Cotton Canvas'."

The first, “Morino Kansen Canvas,” is from Morino Hanpu Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., which was founded in Yokohama in 1914 as a ship equipment processing company that mainly manufactures canvas and rope. Morino Hanpu Ship Equipment Co., Ltd.'s original vinylon ship canvas No. 4, which is used for ships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The other "Buyari Canvas" is from Takeyari Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1888 (Meiji 21). A long time ago, there was a company called Yokohama Hanpu Co., Ltd. in Yokohama, which turned its attention to the overseas market in the Showa period and succeeded in exporting Japanese-made cotton canvas to countries around the world, including Manchuria and China, Africa, and Australia. rice field. High-quality Japanese cotton canvas was exported from Yokohama to the world.The Takeyari textile factory (now Takeyari Co., Ltd.) in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture was involved as the main canvas production factory. . (From Yokohama canvas bag homepage "Material & Parts")

Above all, there were concerns about using vinylon materials. Although it is a material with excellent salt resistance, flame resistance, and UV light resistance, is it really suitable for making bags? …“These performances themselves are not required for everyday bags. I wanted to pursue outdoor specs, so I took the plunge and decided to use this material,” says Suzuki.

Currently, Mr. Suzuki is mainly engaged in design and production, but sewing machines are also his specialty. While stepping on the pedal with my feet, I carefully sew the strong material.

“I think there are many ready-made canvas bags. However, the products we make have a storyline called 'Yokohama Canvas'. I stand in the workshop every day with the thought that I would like people who will be using it to taste it.”

I will also visit the shop next to the workshop. Considering that the number of foreign customers has started to increase in Yokohama, a tourist spot, the interior decoration is not limited to "Yokohama", but also attempts to broaden the definition and add a taste that makes you feel "Japanese" everywhere. was For example, in front of the cash register, this noren. The family crest-like mark is the brand signature “045”.

A sewing machine is placed next to the cash register, and while looking at the products in the store, you can take a peek at the Japanese manufacturing site.

Furthermore, inside the store, there is also a creative tea room "Hawaian" that is about 3 tatami mats in size. Based on the concept of “NO BORDER”, it has the meaning of a hermitage where you can be in harmony.

We have a wide variety of tote bags, body bags, and backpacks that are perfect for excursions and trips that are about to enter the season. In this location where you can enjoy the sea breeze from Yokohama Port, I would like you to come across a “Yokohama original” that suits you.