The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER" is a series of short movies featuring the thoughts of six companies involved in the Soka leather industry. The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER" will be April 23

LEATHER TOWN SOKA Project team (Location: 1-14-1 Nakane, Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, Representative: Munetake Miyamoto) has produced a series of short movies, "The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER," featuring six manufacturers involved in Soka leather. The series of short movies, "The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER," will be available on YouTube from April 23, 2026.

Soka is known as one of the four major leather-producing areas in Japan, and is one of the few places in Japan where more than 100 processes, from raw hides to finished products, are carried out within the local community. Although people tend to have the impression that Soka leather is "heavy," "expensive," and "difficult to handle," this film conveys the background and value of Soka's leather production through the words of craftsmen and managers, the sounds of the factory, and the accumulation of handiwork.

In addition, the environment surrounding the domestic leather industry is changing drastically: following the entry into force of the EPA with the EU, mutual tariffs are scheduled to be eliminated for imports and exports of leather products with the EU bloc by 2034, and the competitiveness of the Japanese leather industry will be even more challenged in the international market in the future. Despite its high level of technology, Japanese leather products are still not fully recognized in Japan, and we believe that it is important to first broaden understanding and sympathy for the production area.

▼SOKA LEATHER YouTube channel

The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER" playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfmeePoOFiQEDDrxzhniRc5AhTmZNxM10

The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER

Background of the Video

The leather industry has been nurtured for about 100 years in Soka, which is blessed with good groundwater. The area is home to a concentration of businesses that handle the tanning, dyeing, sewing, repair, and many other processes necessary for leather products to be born.

In addition, the materials handled are also diverse. In addition to cattle, the region has accumulated processing technologies for sheep, goats, deer, reptiles, and other animals. While it is difficult to convey the depth of these production areas by looking only at the products, they are also an important foundation that supports Japanese manufacturing.

This series of video works records the real image of Soka as a production center, not mainly through explanations, but by overlaying the words of managers and craftspeople with scenes of the work site. Why is leather transformed into leather? What kind of ethics and techniques, conflicts and inheritance exist there? Rather than prescribing a single answer, we aim to provide an opportunity for each viewer to think about these questions.

Key Points of the Video: A Common Awareness of "Work that Receives and Connects Lives" (Japanese only)

The six companies featured in this video are all involved in leather production in Soka. Each company is led by a second- to fourth-generation manager, and each company has inherited the business while taking on different processes and roles. Although the paths they have taken are not the same, what they all have in common is the recognition that the leather business is "a job of receiving and connecting life.

Therefore, the attitude of treating materials with sincerity, minimizing waste, and carefully finishing each piece of leather is deeply rooted in the workplaces. Leather is more than just a material; it is an entity whose individuality rises the more it is worked on. In this work, the value of leather is expressed through the accumulation of fragments such as the sound of water, the rhythm of machines, changes in leather, and the movement of craftsmen's hands, rather than by pushing it out with explanations.

Soka City is a "leather town" where leather manufacturing has continued for nearly 100 years. An important aspect of this work is that the techniques and work that have been passed down through the generations in the region exist in close proximity to our everyday lives. We hope that this film will provide an opportunity for the general public to become familiar with the characteristics of Soka Leather as a familiar production area and for those in the industry to become familiar with Soka Leather as a process accumulation area.

Outline of the Short Movie Series

Title ：The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER

Release Date : April 23, 2026 (Thursday) 9:00

▼SOKA LEATHER YouTube channel

The Pulse of SOKA LEATHER" playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfmeePoOFiQEDDrxzhniRc5AhTmZNxM10

vol.1 Nitto Leather

Connecting the Japanese "sound" that has been preserved for 150 years to the next generation.

MOVIE: https://youtu.be/X8SV_slx7kU

vol.1 Nittoh Leather: Making Taiko Skins for 150 Years

vol.2 Taiko-Dyed Leather

A diamond of leather; it is the tanner's skill that makes it shine.

WEB : https://taikohsenkaku.com/

MOVIE : https://youtu.be/HGxSKvjCOBw

vol.2 Taikodome Leather: Diamond of Leather "Crocodile", etc.

vol.3 Isao Suzuki

To know leather is to know life. The hands of a craftsman with 60 years of experience speak more than words.

MOVIE: https://youtu.be/G7EaPRlHCNk

vol.3 Isao Suzuki, a craftsman with 60 years of experience

vol.4 Jutel Leather

Pursuing leather that protects players and helps them win. The main tannery is cowhide leather for baseball gloves.

WEB : http://juteru-leather.jp/

MOVIE : https://youtu.be/TGZK7i8TYdU

vol.4 Jutel Leather: Pursuing Leather to Protect Players and Capture Victory

Vol.5 ITO SANGYO CO.

Sheep, goat, and deer skins are given a new touch of color and light by the hands of craftsmen.

WEB : https://www.kawa-ichi.jp/tanner/ito-sangyo/index.html

MOVIE: https://youtu.be/d84MaOLPwXY

vol.5 Ito Sangyo: Soft leather is dried gently

vol.6 Kawai Sangyo

Life is not something that should be discarded.

WEB : https://www.kawaisangyo.com/

MOVIE： https://youtu.be/DDZ1cli1AcQ

vol.6 Kawai Sangyo: Exploring New Markets by Utilizing By-Products

Copyright ： LEATHER TOWN SOKA Project team

WEB : https://soka-leather.jp/interviews/

Video : HIROBA Corporation

Direction : PORT

Web Site ： https://soka-leather.jp/

X : https://x.com/SOKA_LEATHER

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soka_leather_/

Expanding Contacts with Production Areas through the Video

The association will not stop with the release of the video, but will link it to efforts to expand contact with the production areas.

For the general public and families, workshops are held on the fourth Saturday of each month in Soka City at the "Palisse" traditional industry exhibition room on the first floor of the Soka City Cultural Hall. By touching the materials and learning about the background of manufacturing, one's distance from leather will change dramatically.

Several times a year, we also hold sales of leather products at events, giving visitors the opportunity to actually hold the products in their hands and experience the texture and workmanship. For industry professionals, we plan to expand the possibilities for material research and new collaborations through participation in joint exhibitions.

Deepening understanding of the leather industry in Japan is not only a way to pass on local industry, but also to build a foundation for future international competition. By opening up the technology and philosophy accumulated at the Soka Leather site to society through video, we will nurture the soil that will support the future of the production area.

Company Profile

Company name: Saitama Leather Business Cooperative Association

Location: 1-14-1 Nakane, Soka-shi, Saitama

Representative: Kazunori Kawai, President

Business Description ： Cooperative organization of leather manufacturing businesses involved in tanning, dyeing, sewing, repairing, etc,

　　　　　　 The organization is a group of businesses involved in tanning, dyeing, sewing, repairing, and other leather manufacturing activities.

　　　　　　 It receives orders for projects, disseminates information, and acts as a consultation service.

Company website: https://soka-leather.jp/

Contact for general consumer inquiries

LEATHER TOWN SOKA Project team

mail: info@soka-leather.jp