Kokichi Mikimoto
Kokichi Mikimoto | |
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御木本 幸吉 | |
Born | Toba, Shima Province, Japan | 25 January 1858
Died | 21 September 1954 | (aged 96)
Resting place | Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo |
Occupations |
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Known for |
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Awards | Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (posthumous) |
Kokichi Mikimoto (Japanese: 御木本 幸吉, Hepburn: Mikimoto Kōkichi, 25 January 1858 – 21 September 1954) was a Japanese entrepreneur who is credited with creating the first cultured pearl and subsequently starting the cultured pearl industry with the establishment of his luxury pearl company Mikimoto.[1][2]
He was inducted into the House of Peers by imperial decree and posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.[2][3] On 18 April 1985, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of Ten Japanese Great Inventors.[4][3]
The company was ranked as one of the world's most luxurious brands by
Early life
Mikimoto was born 25 January 1858 in
Pioneering cultured pearls
Mikimoto began his search of an alternative method to produce pearls as the chairman of the Shima Marine Products Improvement Association. At this point the demand for pearls had severely outweighed the supply, prompting the consideration of an effort to protect the oysters.[7]
In 1888, Mikimoto obtained a loan to start his first
Mikimoto did not know that government biologist Tokichi Nishikawa and a carpenter, Tatsuhei Mise, had each spent time in Australia and learned the secret to spherical pearl production from expatriate British marine biologist William Saville-Kent[9] – inserting a piece of oyster epithelial membrane (the lip of mantle tissue) with a nucleus of shell or metal into an oyster's body or mantle causes the tissue to form a pearl sack. The sack produces nacre, which coats the nucleus, thus creating a pearl. Mise received a 1907 patent for this grafting needle. When Nishikawa applied in the same year, he realized that Mise had already secured a patent. In a compromise, the pair agreed to cooperate, calling their discovery the "Mise-Nishikawa method".
Mikimoto had received a patent in 1896 for producing hemispherical pearls, or mabes, and a 1908 patent for culturing in mantle tissue, but he could not use the Mise-Nishikawa method without invalidating his own patents. Mikimoto then altered his patent application to cover a technique to make round pearls in mantle tissue, which was granted in 1916. However, this method was not commercially viable. Mikimoto finally made arrangements to use Nishikawa's methods after 1916, and Mikimoto's business began to expand rapidly.
Industry success
The new technology enabled Japan's cultured pearl industry to quickly expand after 1916; by 1935 there were 350 pearl farms in Japan producing 10 million cultured pearls annually.
Mikimoto Pearl Company
In 1899, the first Mikimoto pearl shop opened in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo selling natural seed pearls and half round pearls. The Mikimoto business expanded internationally, opening stores in London (1913).
By 1935, the Japanese pearl industry was facing oversupply issues and plummeting prices for Japanese cultured pearls. Mikimoto promoted Japanese pearls in Europe and the US to counteract falling prices. He publicly burnt tons of low-quality pearls as a publicity stunt to establish a reputation that the Mikimoto company only sold high-quality cultured pearls.
After World War II, Mikimoto opened stores in
Mikimoto had to constantly fight allegations that his pearls were only "imitations" of real pearls,[8] despite scientific reports to the contrary. Mikimoto took advantage of every opportunity to personally promote his pearls, and took part in the 1926 Philadelphia World Exposition in which he displayed a replica of the "Liberty Bell" covered with pearls.[10]
Mikimoto was the official jeweler of the
In 2010–11, the company's estimated total sales were €300 million.[11]
In June 2013, the company was chosen to design a five-piece parure consisting of a brooch, necklace, earrings, bracelet and the state diadem for Princess Kako of Akishino's 20th birthday anniversary, valued at ¥30 Million JPY (US$279,000). The illustrious tiara features both floral motif and national symbols of Japan.
Personal life
Mikimoto's wife was Ume, who was also his partner in creating the cultured pearl.[12] Mikimoto and his wife have five children: Rui (eldest daughter), Mine (second daughter), Yo (third daughter), Ai (youngest daughter), and Ryuzo (son).
On 21 September 1954, Mikimoto died at the age of 96. Mikimoto's personal memorabilia are displayed at Mikimoto Pearl Island Memorial Hall, a museum in Toba, Japan.[13][14][15]
See also
References
- ^ Joyce, Kristin and Addison, Shellei. Pearls: Ornament and Obsession. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.[ISBN missing][page needed]
- ^ a b Ward, Fred. Pearls: Bethesda, MD: Gem Book Publishers, 2002.
- ^ a b c "Philosophy and History – Company Information". Mikimoto Cosmetics. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ "Ten Japanese Great Inventors". Japan Patent Office.
- ^ "Legacy and Biography of Kokichi Mikimoto". mikimotoamerica.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ a b Steigrad, Alexandra (April 2013). "Vol. 205, Iss. 67". Women's Wear Daily.
- ^ a b c Eunson, Robert (1955). The Pearl King; the story of the fabulous Mikimoto. Angus and Robertson. pp. 71–80.
- ^ a b "Pearl Jamming with Mikimoto". Popspoken. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ George, C. Denis. "Debunking a Widely Held Japanese Myth: Historical Aspects on the Early Discovery of the Pearl Cultivating Technique".
- ^ "Travel to the Birthplace of Pearls". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9.
- ^ "Mikimoto and Wife Ume of Pearl Island". karipearls.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Kim, Svetlana (20 November 2012)"Kokichi Mikimoto's Unforgettable Dream". alist-magazine.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Mikimoto Pearl Island Memorial Hall". karipearls.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Mikimoto Kōkichi: The Pearl King and His Museum". nippon.com. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2021.