Founded in 1716 as a wholesaler of Nara bleached wood, Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten Co., Ltd. (CEO: Nakagawa Jun, 13th generation), will celebrate its 300th anniversary next year. To mark the occasion, a press conference was held at Tokyo Midtown on the 11th, where Nakagawa Jun, 13th generation, announced the commemorative products and events, expressing his "300 years of gratitude and 100 years of determination." Two eye-catching deer sculptures stood out at the press conference venue. One was an "old" deer, crafted using traditional Nara craftsmanship, including single-stroke carving, lacquer, inden, and tortoiseshell, to express the Japanese culture's spirit of learning from the past and creating something new. The other was a "new" pure white deer, created using the latest digital technology by SANDWICH, a creative collective led by Nawa Kohei. The two deer will tour five venues of the "Dai Nippon Expo," which will be held in five cities across Japan, starting at Tokyo Midtown in January next year. Nakagawa explained his intention for hosting the expo: "Crafts are still a niche field. That's why I wanted to create an opportunity for many people to experience crafts. I also hope that crafts will become a source of pride for local people." The "Dai Nippon Expo," to be held in Tokyo from January 13th to 17th next year, will see the debut of "Kaenjusai," a plant brand created in collaboration with plant hunter Seijun Nishihata. During the event, talk events will feature speakers such as Hidetoshi Nakata and Manabu Mizuno. Other projects include a folding screen painting supervised by Seigo Matsuoka that unravels the history of crafts, and a "Japanese Craft Monopoly" board game, Nakagawa's personal favorite, featuring domestic production areas and crafts.

In addition to managing its own brands such as Yu Nakagawa and Dainipponichi, the company is involved in a variety of business categories, including industry-specific management consulting, distribution support for manufacturers, and the manufacturing and wholesale of tea utensils, but at the heart of it all is a passion to "revitalize Japanese crafts!" Looking ahead to the next 100 years, Nakagawa said, "We are within sight of achieving annual sales of 10 billion yen by 2025. While crafts will remain our starting point, we would also like to focus on businesses that convey the essential value of crafts, such as crafts x tourism and crafts x events."