Isetatsu square chiyogami (large)

Tatsugoro I went from a farmer in Saginuma Village (Narashino City) to work for Iseya Soemon, a fan wholesaler in Horie-cho, Nihonbashi, Edo, and as a result of his hard work and diligence, he was given a share in the goodwill. He kept the goodwill he received at the end of the Edo period.

In 1870, he moved the store to Benkei-bashi, Kanda (formerly 19 Iwai-cho), which was depicted on a map of famous places in Edo. He also exported Japanese paper art to Europe. He also exported Japanese paper art to Europe. During this period, Tatsugoro III was also deeply involved with Kawanabe Gyosai and Shibata Zeshin, two famous ukiyoe artists, and his taste for both public and private life was passed on to Tatsugoro III.

Tatsugoro III (Kanezaburo) was born in 1878 and was a Kandakko. He was fascinated by collecting nishiki-e (woodblock prints) since he was an infant, and was also a Kabuki enthusiast, never missing a theater performance by Danjuro IX, Kikugoro V, and other famous actors. It could be said that he devoted his entire personal life to Edo hobbies and the performing arts. He was acquainted with his fellow artists such as Shimizu Harufu, Awashima Kangetsu, Inoue Kazuo, and Ishii Kendo, and had a keen knowledge of nishiki-e (woodblock prints). He was also the author of "Nishiki-e no Kaiin Kousho" and "Jihon Nishiki-e Tonya-fu," both published jointly with Kendo Ishii, as well as "One Hundred Kinds of Chiyogami, Crane Scroll" and "Takarabune Shu," both of which are restorative publications of representative works of Edo chiyogami. While devoting himself to the production of Edo chiyogami, which he inherited from the first generation, he took over from the second generation and produced napkins using the same technique as chiyogami, hand-printing Edo customs on Japanese paper and selling them to European countries through German trading houses, and the store grew greatly. However, in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the company lost all of its woodblocks for chiyogami, which were its lifeline, as well as its vast collection of paper artifacts. For a time, he was at a loss, but remembering the Meiji Restoration of his father's time, he encouraged his late son, the fourth generation, and his apprentices, and finally restored about 1,000 varieties of chiyogami printing blocks. Thanks to his efforts, Edo chiyogami remained in Greater Tokyo.

Tatsugoro (Masao) IV was born in 1864. He is the eldest son of Tatsugoro III and is a chaki-chakki Kandakko. He is the third generation of Edo child. The times were not conducive to his father's multifaceted taste, and Nishiki-e, chiyogami, and even elder sister dolls had become hobby items, making it increasingly difficult to do business. Then came World War II, and the family faced another crisis that would destroy all of its assets, one greater than that of the Meiji Restoration. The company was unable to provide even three meals a day. However, the fourth generation believed that there must be a way for the common people to survive, and his father, the third generation, told him the old stories of the first and second generations. In 1942, he set up his store in Yanaka, a mountainous area in Ueno, so that the ground would be safe in the event of another earthquake.

Today, the four siblings of the fifth generation are taking on their respective roles to protect the store. Only the Yanaka Honten is open year-round because the fourth generation felt sorry for those who came from far away.