Message from the CEO
October 2nd, 2023

We are pleased to announce that our company “Houkodou” (仿古堂)  marks its 123rd
anniversary.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the people who are connected with
us.
Thanks to all of you, we have been able to move forward, and we are determined to
make further progress.

We are grateful to:
-Our loyal customers
-The artisans
-The suppliers, who connect our customers to the artisans
-Our employees, who always work hard to make things run smoothly

“Houko” (仿古) in the company’s name has deep connotations.
-To emulate the ancient times…
-To visit the ancient times…
Here are the detailed meanings of each Chinese character.
“Hou”(仿) 
-A term referring to the act of emulating the behavior or work of others as a model.
Especially in the field of art or academia, this word means to learn the works or
theories of predecessors and to improve one’s skills and knowledge based on them.
-An expression referring to wandering around 
“Ko”(古) 
-Ancient times

We tend to think that things develop rapidly with time. However, it seems to me that
while civilization is advancing, there are also so many things that are decaying and
deteriorating.

Therefore, I am convinced that the “brush” (筆) will be more and more “appreciated” as
one of the “etiquette” tools for our traditional culture, along with the Japanese
calligraphy culture.

We cherish every single moment with those who use our brushes and have the passion
to work with us to promote the Japanese calligraphy culture!
It is through the accumulation of such precious moments that the spirit of “Houko” (仿古
) will be passed down to the next generation.

I believe that I am destined to carry the ancient wisdom of Japan’s “Inishie” (古) into the
future.

We are grateful for your continued support.

With our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you…

The CEO
Tomoko Ihara