Our History

サムライクラフト代表・立田良徳のレザークラフトへの道

– 1976

Yoshinori Tatsuta, the founder of Samurai Craft, was born as the son of a tailor of ladies outfits. Since childhood, he grew up watching my father’s sewing work by dad’s side and tailored his own uniforms and suits.

– 1995

What does he want to do for living? He searched, changed jobs here and there. There were various kinds of jobs such as factory work, gardening, and sales. Besides, he painted cars and make children’s clothing by requests. His friends know well that he’s dexterous and they asked for crafts time to time. Initially, he was supposed to take over his family business, but he was not convinced somewhere in his mind.

– 2000

“Meanwhile, a friend asked me to make a leather wallet. That’s where he confronted big obstacles. It’s a comeletely different experience to deal with leather from his past ones. It required to create layers of fine materials. It was much harder than he anticipated. He learned that various techniques are condensed into a small purse. By then, he was able to handle pretty well all the past requests from friends and made them happy but this time it will not be the case … That very experience led him to immerse himself into leather craft. Origin of Samurai craft. The current “A-1” became Samurai Craft’s first model, but it took a lot of time and energy to get there. When he made it for his friend, he made one for himself to observe how it feels over time. Since, he disassembled and assembled purses and wallets, … sniffing the leather, reading the texture, controlling the thickness every day… all the money he earned was spent for leather crafting. At that time, this domain was still a minority in the Tohoku region, it was not easy to get even materials. The textbooks were available only in English. In addition, each leather is different accodring to the environment in which it was raised, food, age and when it is cut, it changes again. It is interesting yet unpredictable. He uses all senses to find out the place to cut. Only by his self-study, he gradually develop his senses. From his experience, he sticks hand-sewing, no matter how troublesome the work could be. Also to the natural materials.

He doesn’t compromise on tools, material, time, nor skill. Only when all of the first-class products are available, we can achieve high quality and time-sensitive service. By his original acurate work and senses, he becomes famous as curving master.

This honor comes as the result of long experiences and intuitions that have been developed along the way. This valuable skills are dedicated to each and every single product. Tatsuta also cherishes his hobbies such as motor-cycle riding and fishing. Every day and night, he strive to create products that are easy to use, durable, and unique, with excellent appearance.”

ショップ展開へ

– 2003

Established “A-1” “N-2” “D-1”, he determined his life-work. “Samurai Craft” has got the signboad. In the beginning, he was focuing on the introduction of natural leather, so he took orders by request. While receiving various offers, not only wallets but also card cases, coin cases, and other small items were born one after another. Original Samurai craft products were selected amongst them. The beauty of Sheridan style carving (based on the A-1 model) became epic.

– 2005

Thanks to many customers, Samurai Craft has made good steps as a “leather brand”. And in 2005, we opened our first branch in Sendai. About the same period, our standard model “A-2” was announced. Then, we have moved the main store to Tomiya town, dealing some apparel brands with the same “spirit of manufacturing.” Having a larger workshop and store space, Tatsuta continued to improve his business while communicating with customers.

– 2017

The head office is moved to a quiet Taiwa town surrounded by nature. With 14 parking spaces, floor area of approximately 150 square meters. New shop provides space where you can relax and discuss custom orders, and you can enjoy shopping even with sofa.

≫Main shop here