Staff and Workshop

The Bunkoya Oozeki workshop and our artisans

Oozeki is the family name of our founder.

The founder of our company, Usaburo Oozeki, was the first to use bunko leather. He worked here at the Mukojima workshop from the time he started the company until his death 55 years later. Today, many younger artisans bring energy and enthusiasm to their work at Bunkoya Oozeki.

Today, a large team of artisans work tirelessly in our Bunkoya Oozeki workshop. Some of them are coloration specialists who have become independent and work from home. Coloration is not the only process that goes on at the workshop. There are also artisans who specialize in our unique sabi-ire antiquing process or in finishing work. We also have embossing artisans and those who cut the leather.

Our professional coordinators ensure that everyone sticks to a schedule so that work progresses efficiently. Some members of our team are in charge of inspecting finished products, or making edits to our website. We also have members who handle online orders and who sell Bunkoya Oozeki products in our physical shops. Some come up with new products or new patterns for our designs. Others craft color schemes, or think of ways to better sell what we make.