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Shibuya of future talks about the KEY PERSON key person

Long interview of [key personnel] to be active mainly in the Shibuya. Place a "Shibuya of appeal" through their words.

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Ms. Takahiko Mizuno (jewelry College school length of Hiko Mizuno)

1939 Born in Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolitan University Faculty of Science, Theoretical Physics Department after graduation, joined the electronics manufacturer to produce the crime prevention unit. After three years, independent taking over the gem polishing classroom in the Ebisu at the age of 26. The approval of the technical school in 1979, to the birth of Japan's first jewelry professional school. Then, to add more watches and shoes, the course of the bag, in 2008 established the Osaka School. "Strawberry pattern is principal of socks" to the important works (Gentosha Renaissance), "Jewelry & Bible", "the world of jewelry artist" (art publisher), and the like.

For more than 30 years, Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry, which set up the school building along the Cat Street. Mr. Takahiko of school length Mizuno, the reason to stick to Shibuya as a place to nurture the talent of making things. About walked's half a lifetime with Shibuya, we have carefully said.

Straight to the bar of hundred hotels shop When you arrive at Shibuya college (laughs)

- Please tell us about the encounter of the first in Shibuya.

Shibuya and the encounter is the time of the college student. Because through and had to Tokyo Metropolitan University, riding on Toyoko, I had come to often play. Once we arrived at the station, go straight to the hundred hotels shop bar (laughs). Also store per Koibumi alley to visit, I drank to the usual morning. Cluttered and, I'm a good shop there were a lot, in those days. There is a storage youth was less compared to now, but may be because did not come only almost night (laughs). At that time, it was the Shinjuku Speaking with students of the city, my playground is completely Shibuya. There is also the fact that simply was close to, somewhere Shinjuku would did not fit the skin. That feeling does not change even now. But bad is in Shinjuku people, Once I finished the use, I think I become want to leave hell out.

- What kind of had sent the student life.

Time of elementary and junior high school students was top-heavy in honor student, but life went on soccer from high school is now quite active. Study, but was good at humanities subjects, not think absolutely literature holds as academic. "Do not I good if you read a book like that for myself", I thought. So, I think that trying to unrelated academic with their up to it, chose the theoretical physics department. After all, until graduation, I did not know at all (laughs). In college football samadhi, something like was attending to little soccer. Really, while I was able to better graduation.

- Please tell us after graduation.

From college, Do would be good at work under the man entered the large companies, there was a feeling that. It did almost intuitive. Students at the time of the theoretical physics department in great demand, job hunting is completely seller's market. If it refuses the recommendation of Professor of the seminar companies, because I did enough to say "not to introduce from next year." It's not considered now. At the time, we are for the Department of the students in the automation and nuclear is stellar, but my seminar was about 10 people, everyone, went into the first class of the Institute, such as Matsushita and Atomic Energy Research Institute. Speaking I and does not feel to enter the kind of large companies, where since the heck decided to try to enter the small and medium-sized enterprises, after all, joined in the electric company that home of neighbors to management. It is that of 1963. In there is also now the company to the station that Shukugawara of Nambu, at that time had been manufacturing such as the type of thief detectors to be attached to the safe.

There was a fear that "than has been that it does not hold in the world."

- Then, the circumstances to enter the road of jewelry?

In that company, production and development, our sales, we have a really a variety of experience. Operating era's left is particularly strong impression. From walking around all over the country is responsible for the machine much weight 10 kilometers experience, I felt and try to learn that there is a thing you do not know to go to the site. Even now, when there is trouble, also can be finished on the phone, are you to carry your feet on the reluctant PITA is because the experience is at the origin. Even so, I think really it was a generous era, once became friends with police officers of the police of the crime prevention department, that tell me to enter the company or home address to a thief. When the visit there, I since have me almost bought a product (laughs). It became the turning point of my life, who visited Ebisu jewelry polishing classroom as one of those business destination. If a little to talk about the gem polishing, in the United States, I went to dig the ore on their own, a hobby that the gem is polished will not have a long history. At one time, become a boom in Japan, I was able to a lot of the classroom. In time just boom has become subsided at the time, the classroom of the president is "I want to close the classroom. But I hope that me taking over someone ..." was spoken with. Around that time, but it was 27-year-old, salaried workers are really anaerobic is plugged in, I was thinking, "I want to separate from ANYTHING". So, only thinking only of three days, we decided to taking over the classroom.

- Will until it was a life with jewelry and edge.

No, at all (laughs). Anyway, since the only "opportunity" I wanted to get out of the office workers. However, it was necessary 2 million yen in taking over, there is no money. It is the equivalent of a lot of money because my starting salary was the era of 28,000 yen. So Once you consult with his father, to me borrow the funds from the bank to the collateral the severance pay was lower the head. However, it was really hard was from it. But it is of course, the first place because I management is the classroom that has been tilted. Course of the classroom, once a week, those that graduate in three months, was mainly of the wife and princess lessons. Or handing out pamphlets at Ebisu Station West Exit rotary, but was posting in the vicinity of the exclusive residential area, not rise is quite effective. After all, was issued a free workshop of advertising to the Asahi Shimbun of advertising, we were able to finally put to gradually orbit students began to gather. The instructor and the wife and I, graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Because it was start from complete amateur, remember the technology through since left the company to another gem polishing classroom, after which took over the management was also kept going with my wife.

- Then, the history of up to evolve as a professional school?

Classroom from the start to take off, went to increase the classroom in Tokyo various places such as Shinjuku and Iidabashi. Became the turning point is, I was a 36-year-old, by pulling in students, it is that I went to overseas training in comprehensive art college in the vicinity of the Schutz Stuttgart of Germany. At this time, I was walking the courtyard of the university, as if an arrow that has been falling like from heaven stuck to the heart, suddenly, was inspiration there idea. Until then, the students wife and it was a young lady, is the idea that if is to create a neat school to nurture the designers and craftsmen to students who have graduated from high school. After returning home, immediately, we get down to the preparation, the anxiety of that time as not to the ratio when that is independent of the office worker, was a big thing. Such a school, Japan, let alone, because there was no precedent in the world. The University of Europe there was the jewelry-related lectures, but is a category of last "art", as vocational technology did not tell me. While there is a strong feeling that "you want to do anyway.", "I is not you are going Serve hand or that does not hold to the world" that it has been plagued by the fear that, also remember clearly now. When you start the recruitment of high school students in 1975, it gathered students of about 20 people, was the time being Nadeoroshi the chest.

Jewelry shop is located along Cat Street "Corazon Corazon"

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