Handcrafting for more than 136 years🎌
Our craftsmen shape and assemble the leather by hand, creating an eye catching sense of 3 dimensionality. This is a distinctive feature of VANCA CRAFT products as it is a unique way to work with leather. We have continued to develop this distinctive method of craft for many years.
Because of this our products are closer to leather craft art than conventional leather goods.
Each piece is carefully handmade, and no two items are exactly alike.
Our Mission
VANCA's driving mission is to create original designs that are both functional and fashionable. We use only the finest Genuine full grain leathers, lead free metal with non-toxic stains, and fully guarantee all of our products. Each item is painstakingly handcrafted to ensure lasting quality and durability to give you years of satisfaction. They will grow even more beautiful with age developing a patina. Nothing is more important for us than bringing you a smile and years of satisfaction with it's quality.
Kinnosuke Tanaka
Kinnosuke Tanaka pioneered in manufacturing artificial flowers, essentially brooches, for western-style clothing (called kamikazarizoka) in Japan. He oversaw production by himself. The company name Yorozuya Honpo was chosen. Apprentice artificial flowers craftsmen were trained. Began selling wholesale to retailers in Asakusa Kuramae in Tokyo. Products were delivered to department stores.
Kotaro Tanaka
Kotaro Tanaka, the eldest son, took over the family business Yorozuya Honpo. From wholesale, the idea to devote more efforts into the manufacturing business emerged.
Business was interrupted
Business was interrupted due to World War II
Business resumes
Business resumes after the war. The company name was changed to Yorozuka Kenkyujo (Institute). Without being limited to the production of artificial flowers, plans were made to produce clothing accessories in creative ways.
Exports
The company aimed to ship 50% of its products as exports. This was a time when facing bankruptcy was a common hardship for many businesses relying heavily on exports.
Sunflower Brooches
After two difficult years, new plans were made to adopt the use of wool to create “sunflower brooches”, which was a big fad at the time nationwide
Nylon Flower Accessory
Established as Yorozuya Kougei (Crafts) Co., Ltd. Plans were made to create unique accessories with the careful selection of fabrics, especially the use of nylon stocking material. We exported a product called “Nylon Flower Accessory”
International Exports take over
International interest spikes and the numbers are around as follows. Exports: 80% Domestic Market: 20%
New Materials
Hat material was introduced as a new material. “Fruit Pep” (Miniature Fruit) as a shoe accessory was exported.
Leather Material
Leather was introduced as a new material. Plans were made to use leather to create artificial flowers.
Vanca Craft, Inc. from Yorozuka Kougei (Craft)
Room accessories were gradually added to the portfolio of manufactured items. To adopt an English name, our company name was changed to Vanca Craft, Inc. from Yorozuka Kougei (Craft). The Japanese Kanji reading of 萬家 (BAN-KA) means “We make everything.”
Plans for new products begin
Although it was difficult to continue exporting products at low prices due to the unfavourable exchange rate, accessories for interior decorating were in their early developmental stages. A lot of concentrated efforts were put into the production plans of the new products.
Desktop Accessories
Desktop accessories made from fabric, resin, metal, and paper were all were gaining popularity.
Shigeo Tanaka
Shigeo – the eldest son of the third generation of the family business – took over the business. Desktop accessories made from denim (called “Jeans Crafts”) were a popular item. These comprised the majority of manufactured items. Exports were revived but only to Europe.
Domestic Market interest resurgence
Leather and vinyl fabric were actively introduced as new materials. Animal and shoe-shaped pen stands and tabletop smoking sets were big hits. Exports to Europe: 30% Domestic Market: 70%
New Sewing Technique
A new sewing technique was introduced which involved squeezing product materials in leather. Out of playful creativity, a leather cigarette lighter case was in development. Each part of the cigarette container of the case was supplied by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
Messe Frankfurt exhibitions in Germany
Practical accessory bags and figurines as three-dimensional leather goods were displayed thrice in Messe Frankfurt exhibitions in Germany. Our exports no longer catered exclusively to European culture and taste.
Focus on further development
We did not limit ourselves to the traditional, ordinary use of leather. Instead, we focused our efforts on the development of fun accessories through trial and error.
Fish novelty keychains become a hit
Three-dimensional leather figurines were mass produced. We succeeded in reducing our retail prices. The company entered the tourism industry as a manufacturer of small three-dimensional leather goods. Among these were fish novelty keychains which were a big hit nationwide.
Showcasing at more trade shows
As we entered the “bubble economy” era, we produced better quality products. As we continued to push the limits of playful creativity, we ventured into the variety goods industry and began actively showcasing our products in trade shows.
The Leather Story
The company developed a special technique in making leather figurines. We aimed to give all our hand-crafted products an elaborate finish. We received requests from famous retails stores nationwide to supply all of our products. Each item was painstakingly handmade in our company workshop. We began labelling all our products with the slogan, "The Leather Story".
Vanca Design Co., Ltd.
We established an affiliate company: Vanca Design Co., Ltd. Shigeo Tanaka became the Representative Director and Designer: Michiko Tanaka, Shigeo’s wife, was appointed as Representative Director. We continued to receive requests from famous retails stores nationwide to supply all of our products.
Trademark
We adopted the “The Leather Story” as a registered trademark slogan.
U.S based “The Leather Story”
We started our own website and online shop: vancashop.com. We launched a U.S.-based “The Leather Story” branch.
Online presence expansion
The company began expanding its online presence by sequentially opening online shops on Rakuten, Amazon Japan, Amazon U.S.A., Amazon E.U., eBay, Etsy, and many more.
Television appearance
Vanca Craft airs on a Japanese variety television program as well as receives media spotlight and interviewing for their famous 3d leather products in Japan
International market
International businesses continue to express their interest in carrying Vanca Craft products which are now available across 12 countries. These range from regions like Europe, The Americas as well as Asia.
Kon Tanaka
We continue to uphold our legacy in all our services as “The Leather Story” continues up to the present under the 4th generation director Kon Tanaka.