[Adachi Brand] Craftsmanship makes bags that go well with Japanese clothing. Senju’s workshop “Watanabe Bag” is trusted as a “bag doctor”. The “Uro Bag Cover”, which is in increasing demand in an aging society, and the “Noren Bag”, which is perfect for festivals, will be unveiled at the Toneri Park Senbonzakura Festival!
Adachi brand Press release: March 7, 2025 Using craftsmanship, we create bags that go well with Japanese clothing. Senju’s workshop “Watanabe Bag” is trusted as a “bag doctor”. The “Uro Bag Cover”, which is in increasing demand in an aging society, and the “Noren Bag”, which is perfect for festivals, will be unveiled at the Toneri Park Senbonzakura Festival! Watanabe Bag, an Adachi brand-certified company, will exhibit its works at the “Adachi Brand” booth at the “Toneri Park Senbonzakura Festival” to be held at Tokyo Metropolitan Toneri Park for two days, March 29th (Sat) and 30th (Sun), 2025. Senju, a downtown area in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, continues to be a bustling town since the Edo period. Watanabe Bag is a handmade bag workshop located in this town. This workshop is popular for making bags with designs that incorporate Japanese patterns and functionality that pursues ease of use. Recently, I have been working more and more as a “bag doctor” in repair and remake work. Introducing “Watanabe Bag”, which creates everything with reliable craftsmanship.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-4ab4c111642fe0140fab62d0fe0929bc-600×400.jpg Founded in 1929. Bag-making began with the training of my father, who moved to Tokyo at the age of 14 Senju in Adachi Ward, Tokyo flourished as a post town during the Edo period. Watanabe Kaban, which has a dignified workshop in the back alleys of this bustling town, is a bag shop that painstakingly creates bags that go well with both Japanese and Western clothing.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-523fc540eebc73c24b81e80cbfb59c21-402×400.jpg “My father founded the company.When he was 14 years old, he moved to Tokyo from Oita Prefecture with the help of his cousin’s older brother and began training at a bag store in Kanda.That was in 1929. That year is the year that “Watanabe Bags” was founded.However, the cousin he relied on died early due to illness, and his father had no other relatives and went to war.After that, he was able to open his own workshop in Nishiarai, Adachi Ward.” So says Mr. Kenichi Watanabe, who is the second generation of the company and continues to make bags with reliable skills.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-8dd04bf6295feab9b02c0691212c5d2b-1000×667.jpg “After graduating from high school, I joined a workshop under the supervision of my father, and started working there in 1973. By the time I turned 20, my father retired, and from then on, I started running the workshop. At that time, I was mainly engaged in OEM manufacturing as a subcontractor for handbag manufacturers. There were many jobs.” Making original bags as a craftsman However, by the beginning of the 2000s, due to the economic downturn, the number of products manufactured was decreasing. Although he was “forced” into the workshop by his father, Mr. Watanabe always got a 5 in art and crafts even as a child and loved making things. Looking back, he says, “As a craftsman, I decided to make original things of my own design.” “The first thing I worked on was a scissor case with a simple design made of tanned leather.It was a case that hairdressers wore around their waists to hold their scissors.My daughter, who was in junior high school at the time, created a cool monochrome website and posted it on it, and a well-known beauty salon in Minami-Aoyama (Tokyo) contacted me and ordered it in bulk for their staff.”
Mr. Watanabe, who up until then had only been involved in
subcontracted bag manufacturing, says, “I was really happy.I also realized that this is the kind of era we are going to live in, where if we make good use of websites and other things, we can sell the products we have created with our own ingenuity.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-a510e2d2ed0cafd14d945bc13aaf1a28-600×600.jpg Products need excitement and surprise The next project I worked on was the “Vertical Tote Large Matoi Pattern,” which took two years to complete.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-95acb454b7ccfe7a5fdfb3b4e9c5e450-900×900.jpg The fabric is “Blue Twill”, which is a supple and thick twill fabric with a beautiful diagonal weave, and the center has a pattern of a mat that goes well with Japanese clothing. In addition, the inside of the bag has pockets that are easy to use on a daily basis, such as a cellphone holder and a business card holder. There is a pocket on the inside bottom to store a transportation IC card, and the bag is also designed to allow you to pass through the ticket gate by touching the bottom of the bag with the bottom of the bag hanging on your shoulder. “In terms of functionality, I wanted to make it as versatile as the Jutoku knife, and I worked on making it easier to use.I think it’s important for things to be surprising and move people to say, “Wow!” After that, we continued to make bags based on Japanese tastes. Mr. Watanabe says that his attraction to Japanese patterns is “influenced by my father, whose hobbies were fashionable kimonos and small songs.” Bags designed with subtle Japanese patterns, such as Edo Komon, gradually gained popularity, and were used as accessories in movies and TV dramas, and the workshop was even featured on the TV program “Owalk”.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-39b12af4b3c7573871f4f54d6a20729e-901×457.png Creating a bag that allows you to go out in style even if you have urinary disorders Meanwhile, “Watanabe Bag” received a request to make a bag that had never been made before. “A man who was the head of a local construction company came to visit us and asked us if it was possible to make a bag that people could take with them when they went out,” says Watanabe. A “Urobag” is a bag that collects urine from people who have trouble urinating due to illness or other reasons when they pass it through a catheter tube.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-7531456e5bac7996128de121dafd648a-742×341.jpg “That’s when I first learned about the Uro Bag. I also learned that even if I needed to collect urine using a catheter, if I could take the bag with me, I could go out and enjoy a walk.” “In that case, let’s make a special bag that will allow you to go out in style.” He spent a year creating Watanabe Bag’s “Uro Bag Cover for Going Out” (13,200 yen including tax).
The first thing we have done with this Urobag cover is the use of deodorizing cloth that eliminates ammonia odor. I found a fabric developed by a Kurume Kasuri manufacturer in Kyushu and decided to use that fabric. In addition, durable Sanada strings are sewn into the edges around the bag to prevent it from losing its shape. This is a device that allows you to wash it in the washing machine as many times as you like. In addition, we have added a lid to hide the introduction tube between the clothes and the bag, and a zipper on the bottom to allow the urination cock to come out.
“The master carpenter was very happy with the Urobag cover, and he often went out for walks. It has also started to be purchased by many people who have the same concerns. After listening to feedback and opinions from people who have actually used it, we made improvements, such as changing the length of the Velcro tape that secures the tube, and making a soft shoulder pad (sold separately) as it becomes heavy when urine accumulates.” You can also purchase directly from Watanabe Bag’s online shop.
https://watanabebags.stores.jp/?all_items=true&page=2 As our society ages, the number of people with urinary disorders is expected to increase. “I want people to know that even if they start using a Uro Bag due to illness, there is an item that allows them to enjoy going out without having to stay indoors.I would like to start by spreading the word about this Uro Bag Cover at hospitals in Adachi Ward,” Watanabe said. You can actually see this Urobag cover at the “Toneri Park Senbonzakura Festival”. Being trusted as a “bag doctor” Recently, “Watanabe Bag” has been receiving many requests for bag remakes and repairs. “Right now, I think of myself as a “bag doctor,” and I repair the memorable bags of people who come to me for advice, as well as items that they inherited from their grandparents and parents and want to continue to cherish.Most of my work has become repairing and remaking, but it’s fun.Basically, We repair or re-make old or broken bags.There are some items that we can repair on the spot, but there are also difficult requests such as changing the size or making them into something else, or items with worn-out leather.The ultimate experience is having a drink at night and thinking, “Ah, that was great.”
One of the requests we’ve had so far was to finally scrap the Volkswagen car we’ve been driving for many years, and to see if we could replace the leather seats with something else. “At that time, I took advantage of the shape of the headrest and made it into a pouch, and also made bags, stamp book holders, and key chains out of the seat leather.” The latest example of Mr. Watanabe’s remakes and repairs is “watanabebags” Instagram You can see it at Connecting with the local community through a handmade workshop In 2014, we rented a house in our current location, and Mr. Watanabe and his daughter renovated it and turned it into a workshop and store. I wanted to have a place where customers could see the products in their hands and sell them directly, so I spent three months looking for a home, and finally found the house.
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The “Watanabe Bag” workshop is run by Mr. Watanabe, who was born and raised in Senju and wants to give back to his hometown. Please feel free to stop by when you get off at Kitasenju Station. “Noren bag” that you want to grow as a souvenir from Senju “Watanabe Bag” was certified as an “Adachi Brand” in 2020. “I’m expanding my connections with people in other industries, which is stimulating.I’m also grateful that I have more opportunities to be exposed in the media as an “Adachi brand,”” says Watanabe. Mr. Watanabe also has original products that he would like to develop as “Senju souvenirs” and “Senju specialties.” That is’Noren Bag. The novelty bags we distributed at the opening party for our workshop and store were so popular that we have turned them into commercial products. “The Noren Bag is a bag with a simple form that uses an oat as its handle. Sanada string is used to connect the bag and the oat, and you can slide it from side to side to close the bag. It has a design that goes well with both kimono and yukata. Adachi Ward holds the “Adachi Flower Festival” every year, and on that day many people walk around town wearing yukata, and I think this bag would be perfect for that occasion.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/136487/107/136487-107-3c8260030876ff90773c2bacd087b994-3900×3113.jpg You can actually touch and see such “Noren Bags” at the “Toneri Park Senbonzakura Festival” this spring. Would you like one for the summer festival? Aim for the Adachi tradition!
[Company information] Watanabe bag https://watanabebags.jp/ Company name: Watanabe Bag Address: 4-12-3 Senju, Adachi-ku, Tokyo Phone number: 03-3888-3650 Representative: Kenichi Watanabe Business content: Production, sales, and repair of bags Online store: https://watanabebags.stores.jp/ instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/watanabebags/ facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/watanabebags/
For inquiries regarding coverage and other published information, please contact the Manufacturing Promotion Section of the Industrial Promotion Division, Industrial Economics Department, Adachi Ward Office, which is also the administrative office of “Adachi Brand”. Manufacturing Promotion Section, Industrial Promotion Division, Industrial Economy Department, Adachi City Hall Phone number: 03-3880-5869 Fax: 03-3880-5605 Adachi brand official website https://adachi-brand.jp
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