What are "JOJO"?"JOJO" are a new, casual version of the traditional Japanese sandals known

as Zori. Zori are formal sandals worn with the Japanese garment Kimono and

we wanted to convert this special footwear into something that can be worn

casually worldwide.

Made in Japan"JOJO" are sandals made using traditional Japanese craftsmanship passed

down over generations and reflecting Japan's origins.

Kyoto NaitoFor more than 100 years in Kyoto, Naito, a well-established footwear artisan,

has been making traditional sandals which are practical and beautiful.

Meaning of the Name JOJO

TherearemanydialectsthatstillresideinvariouspartofJapan.

Inparticular,dailytoolsarecalledbydifferentnamesdependingontheregion.

Thesandalkoppori thatmaiko (apprenticegeisha)wearhasmanynamessuchas

okobo, koppo, pokkuri,etc.Zorialsoiscalleddifferentlydependingonthedialect,

and jojoisoneofsuchnames.JojoisaveryoldwordthatmanyJapanesepeople

probablywillnotrecognize.However it isawordyouseeinthepopularchildren’s

songHaruyokoi (1).

H a r u y o k o i H a y a k u k o i

A r u k i h a j i m e t a M i i - c h a n g a

A k a i h a n a o n o j o j o h a i t e

O n m o e d e t a i t o m a t t e i r u

H a r u y o k o i H a y a k u k o i

O u c h i n o m a e n o m o m o n o k i n o

Ts u b o m i m o m i n n a f u k u r a n d e

H a y o s a k i t a i t o m a t t e i r u

Come spring, come hurry

Mii-chan who just started walking

Is wearing jojo with red strap

Is waiting to go outside

Come spring, come hurry

Peach tree in front of the house

All buds are swelling

Are waiting to bloom soon

Naito - Tradition of “Practical and Beauty”

Formore than100years inKyoto,Naito, a

well-establishedfootwearartisanhasbeenmaking

traditional footwear (sandals)which is practical

andbeautiful.

The K imono is a symbo l o f Japanese

culture. Japanese sandals areconsideredasan

accessoryof thekimono. However, theydidnot

originateaspartof thisgarment,but ratherwere

a living tool generated from our style of living

in our environment. The sandals Gion Naito

makes,carryon this tradition,andarebeautiful,

easy to wear and can be repaired. Japanese

sandalshave twoparts, thedai (sole)andhanao

(strap),andeach ismade fromcarefullychosen

materials. Product linesofferedaremany,with

about3000 variations ofhanao andover5000

variations ofdai. Combinations of suchhanao

anddaiareendless invariety. Theyarecolorful

and gorgeous sandals which use a variety of

materials,andareveryuniqueinthattheycannot

befoundanywhereelseintheworld.Sandalsare

customizedtomeetpeople’stasteswithfocusnot

juston theirappearance,butalso reflecting their

purposesuchasforspecialoccasionsorfordaily

use.Eachsandal ismadewithcarefulhandwork

basedonhoweachcustomerwalksandtheshape

ofhis/her feet.Footwearcanbecategorized into

threetypes.Onetypeismeanttobewornbythe

mainparticipantsofbiganddistinguishedevents.

Thesecondtypeiswornonsimilaroccasionsbut

by support players so that others (yourmaster,

parentsandfriends)standout.Andthethirdtype

istobewornsimplyforenjoymentawayfromthe

limitationsofbigmoments.

Our sandals fit perfectly to your feet from

the moment you put them on and are very

comfortableonthesolesofyourfeet.Prestigious

customerssuchasthefirstladyofprimeminister,

actresses,authors,Kabukiactors includingNoh

andKyogen,traditionalartperformers,professors

andculturalcelebritieshavealllovedourproduct

and it is a must have item for kimono lovers.

Wealsocreate special sandals that areusedat

differentceremoniesattemplesandshrines.

Due to their outstanding comfort, they are

sandalsyouwanttokeepwearingforalongtime,

therefore they are tailored with focus on easy

repair. Among our customers, there aremany

whoconstantlyrepairandwearthesamesandals

for 30 or even 50 years. We will continue to

protect your feet through skills and experience

handeddownovergenerations.

Bridge Between Zori (Japanese style sandals) and Flip Flops.

The Mana Project is to communicate to

peopleovertheworld“thematerial,craftsmanship

andmethodology” thatNaitohasdevelopedover

alonghistory.ThesandalsJOJOwewouldliketo

introduce, are a new type of zori (Japanese

traditionalsandals).

Origin of the New Zori “JOJO”

Zori are traditional sandals worn with the

Japanesetraditionalgarmentkimono.Wewanted

to convert thisnon-daily footwear to something

that can be worn casually worldwide. What

tr iggered Seij i Naito, the 5th generat ion of

GionNaito to start this projectwas an incident

heexperienced in India faraway fromJapan. In

the winter of 2012, he visited South India for

mediationwithhisfriendtoprayforthevictimsof

theTohokuearthquake.

Duringthetrip,helearnedalotandfounda

newroadforthefuture.Whathelearnedfromthe

trip is theessenceofsayingprayers. Peopleare

helplessandvulnerablewhentheyencounter the

most important thing in their life,andallyoucan

doistoprayforthefuture.Whatherealizedwas

that thepowerofgivingprayers is to thinkof the

people that are important to you such as your

family, friends andneighbors, and to recognize

howpowerlessyouare.

Anothereye-opening incidentwaswhenhe

saw pairs of shoes in front of temples and

restaurantsinIndiawhereitishotandhumidlike

Japan, and where there is the habit of taking

shoes of f when entering special places. He

wonderedwhy the footwear theredoesnothave

the power it should possess, as most of the

footwearscatteredaroundwerecheapshoesand

manyofthemwererubberflip-flops.

Hewas told growingup that thepower of

footwear is to bridge the very basics (food,

clothing,housinganddailylife)withyourdreams.

However, theshoeshesaw thrownoff in frontof

the temples and restaurants were carelessly

scattered,andtheywerefarfromofferingwarmth

andcomfort.

Then he thought of re-developing rubber

sandals(2)whichoriginatedfromJapanesezoriinto

sandals that can enrichdaily life and offer the

warmthandcomfortthatfootwearshouldpossess.

Cultureevolveswhen thepointof transformation

becomesanewbeginning.

Considering Japan’s Origins

Theoriginof footwear,asmentionedearlier

is thebridge thatconnectsdaily lifeanddreams.

So,whatistheoriginofmakingthingsinJapan?

One characteristic of culture in Japan is

continuity,i.e.words,lettersandthingshavebeen

usedcontinuouslyoverJapan’s longhistory. For

instance,wordsused inKyogen andNohhave

been inherited over 700 years, and we in the

modernagecanstillunderstand theirmeanings.

As for letters,hiraganaandkatakana thatweuse

todayweredeveloped fromChinese characters

(kanji) duringtheHeianPeriod(794–1185).

In the middle of the Heian period when

hiraganawasdeveloped,a story that represents

Japan, The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) (3),

wasborn inKyoto. This is theoneof theoldest

masterpieces of Japanese literature and was

writtenbyMurasakiShikibuover1000yearsago.

Thenovelwaswrittenwhen reading aloudwas

commonratherthansilentreading.Therefore,itis

anartisticworkhavingbothdrawingsandwords

with writ ten text over Japanese pictures. A

characteristicof thenovel is that“stateofmind”

is depicted as it is in modern novels. How

MurasakiShikibuillustratedbeautynotonlyinthe

main themeof love,butalso in society, fashion,

paintings, criticism towardpoliticsand literature

from the viewpoint of that time isworth special

mention.Within thenovel, there is a story that

Naitovaluesasthebaseofmakingthings.

The Tale of Genji 2nd ChapterHahakigi (the Broom-Tree) Appraisal of Women on a Rainy Night

Start of appraisal of women on a rainy night Tono-Chujo’s grief

Thesceneisasfollows.

Ona rainynight inMay, themaincharacter

Hikaru Genji, who was on night duty at the

emperor ’s cour t, and Tono-Chujo, who was

specially close toGenji, hadnothing to do and

theywerekilling time talking.ThenSamanokami

(aguardofficer)andToshikibunojou(afunctionary

in the ministry of rites) came and said they

wanted to see the love let ters Hikaru Genji

receivedashewashandsomeandpopularamong

the ladies, and they started talking about their

experiencewithwomenandtheirviewonqualities

of women. Samanokami expresses his opinion

referringtoanartisticskillasbelow.

“One-timeobjecthavingnorealpatternmay

seem stylish and draws at tention due to its

modernnewness,but traditional genuineobject

usedinformalfurnisheddecorationshassuchan

undeniable value that youwouldalwayswant to

keep it. Fur thermore, there are number of

mastersinthepaintingacademybutitisnoteasy

toseparatethegoodfromthebad.Thepainterof

thingsnoonehaseverseen,ofparadises,offish

in angry seas, raging beasts in foreign lands,

devils anddemons can abandonhimself to his

fanciesandpainttoterrifyandastonishothers.It

does not matter if the results seem somewhat

remote from real life. However, it isnot sowith

the thingsweknow,mountains, streams,houses

near and like our own. The sof t, unspoiled,

woodedhillsmustbepainted layeron layer, the

details addedgently, quietly, to give a senseof

affectionate familiarity. It ishere that themaster

has his ownpower. There are details a lesser

paintercannotimitate.”

Interesting things you see in front of you

wouldattractattentionandmoveyou,however it

isthegenuinethingswithtraditionthatyouwould

want tohave. Also, things that areuniqueand

never seen can be painted freely to entertain

people,butpaintingsof typicalusual things that

canimpresspeoplearethatofthetrueartist.You

caneasilytellwhentheyarenotreal.

From this story, you can understand the

beauty thatpeople valued for over1000 years.

Beauty thatexists in traditional thingsmadeover

thegenerations,and thatexists inordinarydaily

items and not in eye-catching things, is the

universalbeautypeoplehavebeenseeking.This

senseofvaluehasnotchangedover1000years,

and is being passed down the generations as

Japanesebeauty. Butwhat is interesting ishow

people 1000 years ago have considered this

beauty,andhowwillpeople1000yearsfromnow

befeelingaboutthis.

This beauty of Japanese is not anything

special, butwithin things that canbe found in

daily li fe or in daily experience. Constantly

focusingonitwouldleadtothesenseofbeauty.

Beingabletofindbeautyinthissimpledaily

life is the power of Japanese and this is what

Naitohasfocusedon.

Back to the How Origins Lead to New Style

WhattheManaProjectJOJOcommunicates

totheworldisJapanesetradition.

JOJO are sandals made using Japanese

traditionalcraftsmanship.

We wil l introduce you to the Japanese

characteristicsreflectedinJOJO.

Unique Japanese Body Movement

Japanesebodymovementsaremysticaland

elegant. What is unique about mar tial ar ts,

Japanesedance,KabukiandNoharetheposition

ofhipsandhowyoukeepyourbalance.Thekey

of these movements is the basic walking style

suriashi (shuffle). Suriashi, thebaseofJapanese

movement, activates not only the psoas major

muscle,butalsotheadductormusclewhichisthe

core of lower body, and this repeated suriashi

leads to variousmovements of the lower body.

Thekeytothismovementistohavestronggripin

your toes. People seem to have a common

difficultywhenwearingthongsthatthestraphurts

between their toes. JOJO reviewedboth shape

andmaterialtoresolvethisproblem.

Asfortheform,wedevelopedashapewhere

toes can naturally move as if a baby’s fingers

clutchby reaction. It isbasedonskillsacquired

frommaking traditional sandals fora longperiod

of time. As for the material, it is made from

specialblendedsiliconthatisusedforbabybottle

nipples.Itisstrongandsoft,andcomfortableso

thatyouwouldwanttowearitforever.

Sophisticated Designwith Diverseness

In order to realize this sophisticated form,

themethodologyapplied ishikizan (subtract/take

out)andutsushi.Asyouareaware,hikizanisthe

method used in karensansui (dry landscape

garden) (4), the techniqueof feelingwater in the

drygardenaftertakingout(hikizan)thewater.

Thewordutsushi in Japanesehasdifferent

meaningsdepending on theChinese character

used,utsushi映し(reflection),utsushi写し(copy),

utsushi移し(move)andutsushi遷し(transfer).The

pronunciationutsu inutsushihas themeaningof

utsuro (imagination) and also expresses the

movement toutsutsu (present)viautsuroi (move,

copy,reflect).Reflectsimage,transfersmeaning,

copies shape, goes beyond the boundaries,

movesbackand forthbetweenpresent (utsusu)

and imagination (utsutro), and between old

traditionandmodern lifestyle. In theend,after

taking out (hikizan) the ancient smell from the

traditional sandals, the current formwasmade

fromtheresiduethatwasremaining.

Somepeoplesay theJOJOstyle is typically

Japanesebutsomesayitismodernandnew.We

feelbotharecorrect.ItisthenatureofJapanese

culture to have two sides or diverseness. In

Japan, frontandbackflipsbackand forth,main

themescanchangefromtimetotime.Evenifthe

kimono is the same, simply by changing obi

(sash), the kimono can be used on dif ferent

occasions. Therearemanymeanings towords

with the same pronunciat ion, and dif ferent

characters(Chinesecharacter,hiragana,katakana,

andalphabet)canco-exist. It issonatural fora

single thing to have diverseness, and this is

uniquetoJapan.

Becausesomebuildingshavevaguebound-

aries, apartition is set todistinguish insideand

outside.AtenseatmosphereinJapanisbalanced

withthisvagueness.

ThisnewstyleofzoriJOJOhasmanyfacesand

isdesignedtomatchvariousplacesandoccasions.

Murata Juko (5) says inhis scroll ofquotes

called Furuichi harima hoshi Juko (6), “Most

importantthinginJapaneseteaistotakeoutthe

boundary between Japan and foreign (China).

Thisisveryimportantandwealwaysneedtopay

attentiontoit.”

JOJOconfusestheboundary,isamixofnow

and history representing “modern, casual and

traditional”.It isacomfortable,easytowearand

beautifulsandalthatcanbewornincities,atthe

beachand indoors.Please trywearing JOJO in

yourdaily life, and enjoy Japanese culture and

beauty.

Logo Mark

Thecutefacelikearabbitistheshapeofthe

letter J in cursive script. Eyesare the letterO.

With the ideaofgraphicdesignerMr.Tachibana,

the logo was completed with Mr. Naito (5th

generation)drawingthenoseandeye.Itwasalso

inspiredbyRyoukan’s (7)scrollTenchi.

Notes

1) Haru yo koiComposedbyRyutaroHirota(1892-1952)WrittenbyGyofuuSouma(1883-1950).Apoet,songwriterandcommentatororiginallyfromNiigataPrefecture.GraduatedfromWasedaUniversity,andhasalsowrittentheschoolsongforWasedaUniversityMiyakono Seihoku2) FlipflopswornworldwidewasdevelopedinKobein1952byanAmerican,RayPastineandShotaroIkuta,therubberengineer. AnAmericanworking inJapansaw the traditional Japanesesandalandhad itdevelopedusingrubberwhichwasstillnewatthattime.3) The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) isaclassicworkof Japanese literaturewrittenbyMurasakiShikibu intheearly yearsof the11thcenturyduring theHeianperiod. It is sometimescalled theworld's firstnoveland isconsideredamasterpiece.4) TheJapanese rockgardenor "dry landscape"garden isaminiaturestylized landscapecomposedof rocks,waterfeatures,moss,prunedtreesandbushes,andusesgravelorsandthatisrakedtorepresentripplesinwater.5) JukoMurata (1423–1502) is known in Japaneseculturalhistoryas the founderofchanoyu (Japanese teaceremony)duringmid-Muromachiperiod.Hewastheearlydeveloperofthewabi-chastyleofteaenjoyment.6) Ascroll titledFuruichi harima hoshi Juko given toMurataJuko’sfirstapprenticeFuruichi Choin (CommonlycalledKokoro no Shi no Bun)7) Ryoukan (1758-1831)wasaSotoZenBuddhistmonkofEdoperiod, also remembered forhispoetry andcalligraphy.

Reference

BySeigoMatsuoka:Nihon to iu Houhou(NHKBooks)Nihon-ryu and Nihon Suuki(ChikumaGakugeiBunko)Renjuku Houhou Nihonall3volumes(Shunjusha)

QuotefromSeiichiFujiwarainChapter1256ofSenya SensatsubySeigoMatsuoka

GION NA ITOK YOTO JA PA N

http://gion-naitou.com/en

http://www.jojo-manaproject.com/