BIG IN JAPAN
Kokichi Mikimoto
 |
Kyodo |
Despite its group mentality,
Japan has a history full of dogged individuals who have gone against the grain and pursued
their dreams at great personal cost. Kokichi Mikimoto, founder of Mikimoto Pearls, was one
such innovator. Before his efforts, cultured pearls were just a fantasy. Today, branches
of Mikimoto are in major cities the world over, and rank up with Tiffany' and Georg
Jensen.
Born in Toba, Mie Prefecture in 1858, to a noodle shop owner, Mikimoto was educated in a
tiny one-room school until age 13, when he left school to sell vegetables to help his
family's finances. Since childhood, however, he had been fascinated with the pearl divers
of Ise, and the treasures they brought back to shore. In 1888, with the help of his wife
and business partner Ume, he obtained a loan and started a pearl farm at the Shinmei inlet
in what was Shima province (modern Mie Prefecture).
In 1890, at the 3rd domestic fair in Ueno Park, he met an authority in marine biology,
Kakichi Mitsukiri of Tokyo University, who gave him the idea for an experimental process
to culture pearls from Akoya oysters artificially. With the new knowledge he had gained,
he began trials at Shinmei and what is now called "Mikimoto Pearl Island" in
Toba.
The odds were against him, however. Months went by without noticeable development, and the
feared "red tide" plankton epidemic. wiped out almost the entire oyster harvest.
On the brink of bankruptcy, he persevered, and in July 1893, discovered the world's first
semi-spherical pearl.
After achieving tangible results at last, and while preparing to open a new pearl farm,
Mikimoto was again struck down when his wife died suddenly at the tragically young age of
32. Another outbreak of "red tide" came close to wiping out the harvest again,
before the first completely spherical pearl was discovered in 1905 - indistinguishable
from a natural pearl.
Eventually he opened a store in Ginza, which was relocated to its present location in
Ginza 4-chome in 1906, and shortly thereafter, the first jewelry production facility was
opened. The years that followed saw an ever impressive range of achievements and honors.
He was commissioned to make pearl-encrusted replicas of the Horyuji Temple Pagoda and the
American Liberty Bell, and branches of his stores opened all over the world. Upon his
death, in 1954 at the age of 96, he was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order
of Sacred Treasure.
The story doesn't end happily, however. In the late 1990s, a mysterious oyster blight
appeared, slashing Japan's pearl production by 60%. Although scientists have yet to
identify the exact cause of the virus, pollution, over-breeding and over-harvesting are
suspect. With rampant consumerism and a disrupted ecosystem, pearls are another of the
world's resources in danger. Unfortunately, after a tough beginning, Mikimoto Pearls could
face even greater challenges.
James Walker |
BIG IN JAPAN: