Founder's Archives

Despite the misfortunes, Katsutaro's hard work
and outstanding grades made him one of the chosen few

Katsutaro Inabata was born as the eldest son to the family that ran Kameya Masashige, a Japanese sweets shop in Karasuma Oike, Kyoto, which was a purveyor to the Imperial Household.

His parents’ house burned down during the Kinmon incident when he was 2 years old.Despite the family evacuating to Yamashina and falling into poverty, he studied hard and helped the family business, undaunted by this misfortune.

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Mastered the most advanced dyeing techniques
of the time after studying for 8 years in France

Eight students, including 15-year-old Katsutaro, were selected by the Kyoto prefectural government to study in France to develop industry in Kyoto. He traveled to France with Léon Dury, a medical doctor and French language instructor.

After learning French in Marseille and Lyon, he studied dyeing at the La Martinière technical school in Lyon.

At 18, he started learning practical skills at the Marnas dye factory, working for three years as an apprentice.

After observing dyeing work in various European countries, he studied applied chemistry at the University of Lyon.

Strove to fulfill his duties with the high aspiration
of fostering Japan’s dyeing and weaving industry

At 23, Katsutaro returned from France and worked for the Kyoto prefectural government.

At 25, he contributed to the establishment of Kyoto Orimono company, Japan’s first silk fabric dyeing and weaving company that used machines.

At 26, he became a chief engineer and developed many dyeing techniques. But after two years, he was suddenly discharged, taking responsibility for the deterioration of profitability due to massive capital investments.

Showing resilience after a sudden dismissal,
Katsutaro paved his way from scratch

At 28 in 1890, the couple established Inabata Senryoten in Kyoto. Inabata Senryoten imported dyes directly from European dye companies, starting by being the Japanese distributor for the French dye manufacturer St. Denis. Inbata Senryoten contributed to developing the dyeing and weaving industry, such as by contributing to industrial newspapers in cooperation with others in the same business.

Katsutaro’s desire at the time of establishment

Katsutaro, who had seen the inferior quality of dyes imported to Japan through foreign trading houses, expressed in his advertisements his desire to “contribute to improving Japanese dyeing techniques by importing high-quality dyes directly from Europe and teaching usage methods, which in turn would lead to the steady development of the dye industry.”

Established Muslin Boshoku
after learning spinning and weaving techniques

At 33, Katsutaro established the Muslin Boshoku company and became its auditor.　He was aiming for domestic production of muslin, a wool fabric also called to-chirimen, which was imported in large quantities then.　He traveled to France to learn about muslin spinning and weaving technologies and purchase equipment. After returning the following year, he established a factory in Nakatsu, Osaka.

Considering the spinning and weaving machines Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques manufactured to be the best, he seized the opportunity to import and sell various types of their machinery.

What is muslin?

Muslin is a thin, soft, warm wool material that was widely used for kimono. It was an even more expensive import than silk in Japan then and was an important export for France. Its annual import volume in 1873 was around 5 million yards, which increased to approximately 37 million yards in 1896.

Established Inabata Dye House
to achieve domestic production for the dye business

At 35, Katsutaro established Inabata Dye House for the dye processing of cotton cloth and became the president.　He introduced superior dyeing equipment from Europe, used the latest dyes, and trained engineers and artisans himself.　In particular, the maroon color known then as “Inabata-zome” became popular in the middle of the Meiji Period, as they were used for girls’ school uniforms and hakama skirts for women.　During the Russo-Japanese War, he created a khaki dye for military uniforms that was difficult to see on the battlefield.

Establishment of the Japan Dyestuff Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
to domestically produce synthetic dyes

At age 54 in 1916, Katsutaro participated in the establishment of the Japan Dyestuff Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and became an auditor.

At 64, he became president due to demands to overhaul its continuously unprofitable structure and strengthen management.

The Nissenkai dye association was formed by Inabata Shoten, Nagase Shoten, and five other companies to establish a sales structure.The founder created a system responsible for selling a fixed volume of dyes manufactured by Japan Dyestuff and improved the company’s financial results year after year, even during the unprecedented recession at the beginning of the Showa era.

Affected by law enforcement in 1943 regulating companies manufacturing munitions, Japan Dyestuff merged with what is now Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. They had a deep relationship through the supply of materials.

Devoted himself to citizen diplomacy and trade promotion
as an honorary consul to various countries

At age 57, Katsutaro became honorary consul to Bolivia in Osaka. Subsequently, he received appointments as honorary consul to several European countries, including Portugal, and devoted himself to citizen diplomacy.

At 60, he was appointed the 10th chairman of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He visited various sites in China and the West and traveled to Geneva as the Japanese representative for the International Labour Conference hosted by the ILO. His travel experiences were published in the book Oua ni Tsukaishite (Dispatched to Europe and Asia).

At 64, he was elected as a member of the House of Peers.With the then French Ambassador to Japan, Paul Claudel, who was also famous as a poet, he established a society for Franco-Japanese cultural exchange in Kyoto. He also collected donations from influential business leaders in the Kansai region and built the Institut français du Japon – Kansai in the Kujoyama district of Kyoto.

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