Introducing Pearl Life

Pearl Life was founded in 1967, almost half a century ago. Every year at New Year's, Pearl Life displays the calligraphy of Chairman Hisao Takanami. Many of them are quoted from Koji which is the ancient teachings of China. As we start off a new year, we think about its meaning, remember it, and imprint it on our hearts as a pledge for the year. Although the content of the calligraphy changes every year, the Chairman's message is consistent in its philosophy, “To think about our customers with honesty and sincerity".

The founder, Hisao Takanami, was born during the war as the eldest son of a woodworker in Tsubame-Sanjo in Nigata. After graduating from a local high school, He moved to Tokyo. He was one of the groups of workers from rural areas to Tokyo, which was common at that time.

He got a job at a hardware wholesaler but there was no such thing as a chain store, so he had to go around each customers' store to get orders. He went out into the world as a salesman, though he was just graduated from high school and did not have any connections or experience. He kept visiting customers every single day. However, the world was not that easy and he couldn’t get orders as he thought he should.

One day, he decided to go and observe how the customers were selling their stuff and learn from them and take advantage of it. The store was crowded with customers on the weekend and busy at the top of its game. He was dumbfounded but decided to help out at the store. He was accustomed to working in a wholesale store and was very good at packing products. The clerk was amazed at his work, which was faster and more efficient than anyone else's. He continued to work until the store closed that day, hoping that he could help them. After the store was closed, he was about to leave when he was stopped. It was the owner of the store who was observing his work from the back. "Why did you help out in my store? The owner asked. Then the owner handed him an envelope and said, "All the order forms for the products sold today are in it. I leave everything to you.” This incident had a great impact on him. After that, he went to his customers on every day-off to help them with their stores and was able to get orders one after another. By the time he was 20 years old, he had received an award from the Tokyo Hardware Association as an outstanding salesman.

This is an episode from his youth, but he continues to write New Year's calligraphy, hoping that his employees will understand his feelings at that time and remind the philosophy, “To think about our customers with honesty and sincerity". His attitude of being close to his customers has been passed on to the employees even now.