KOBO at Higo (hereafter referred to as KOBO) started as an art gallery and shop in 2004 and is quickly becoming the face of Seattle Japantown. We spoke to the store's owner, Vinco Bisbee, about the opening of the shop and his own upbringing.

Introducing "Japanese Manufacturing" in America

KOBO, which stocks a wide range of arts and crafts from Japan and the Pacific Northwest, is a popular store bustling with tourists and regulars. Binko, who runs the store with her husband John, is an Asian American with a Taiwanese father and a Japanese-American mother. Binko was born in Japan and lived in Tokyo until she was six years old, before moving to Seattle, where her family is from. She met John when she was in graduate school in New York. John's work brought Binko back to Tokyo. The couple, who had always been fascinated by the beauty of Japanese craftsmanship, traveled all over Japan during their five-year stay in Tokyo, visiting traditional craft sites. After seeing how Japanese craftsmen create products with excellent design and functionality while preserving traditional methods, they began to explore ways to introduce these products to America, and that's when they came up with the idea of ​​starting a select shop.

KOBO's concept is to carefully and clearly introduce the products of small workshops that they have come across in Japan. "Rather than a business, we started out as an experimental project. This concept has not changed, and we hope to spread Japanese products that combine simple design and functionality here in the Pacific Northwest," says Binko. Their first store was KOBO Seattle, which is still located in Capitol Hill. The name KOBO comes from the Japanese word "kobo" (workshop). They chose the word "kobo" because they wanted to stock a selection of products that interest them, regardless of field.

Inheriting Japantown

KOBO's second store, which opened after the Capitol Hill store, took over the space of the Higo Variety Store, a general merchandise store opened in 1932 by Sanzo Murakami, who immigrated to the United States from Kumamoto in 1909. Why did Binko decide to set up a new store in Japantown? At the time, his daughter Masako Murakami, who took over the store after the war, was running the Higo 10 Cent Store, but as she grew older, she was unable to manage the store and was considering closing it down. Masako's relative Paul Murakami wanted Jacksonville to be filled by stores that had been around since before the war and that would carry on the traditions of Japantown. That's when they met Binko and his friends through a mutual acquaintance.

Binko and John decided to keep the name of the Higo 10 Cent Store, which was beloved by people with ties to Japantown, and named their second store KOBO at Higo. At first, they were surprised and worried about the size of the store space.

"Rather than renovating everything at once, we worked with John to do it bit by bit. John used to work in the construction industry. Paul's family also helped out with the renovation work. We all worked together to get the store ready to open, sorting out old items and painting the place."

Inside the store, the old and new blend together well, with the floors left over from the old store and the walls repainted vermilion. Binco-san told us, "We didn't have much money to open the store, but rather than completely renovating everything, we decided to keep the old atmosphere and change what we could," revealing the belief that had already been born from the time of the renovation: "to carry on the traditions of Japan Town."

If you don't act, change will happen

Currently, Seattle is attracting many global companies, mainly in the IT field, and is becoming a global metropolis. We asked Binco how he would like to see Japantown and KOBO develop in Seattle, which is evolving every day. "It's sad to see old buildings being torn down and replaced with new ones, and the old scenery being lost," says Binco. That's why he says he is proud to be able to carry out activities to preserve Japanese culture in a historic building like Jacksonville. "In the International District community, we don't just accept each other's opinions at face value, but have a brotherly relationship of trust where we can discuss any disagreements thoroughly."

The International District, which includes Japantown and the neighboring Chinatown, has been designated a historic preservation district by the city of Seattle and the country. The Wing Luke Museum, located in the district, is dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of Asian Americans in the Seattle area, and also offers tours of Japantown. KOBO is one of the key stops on the International District tours organized by the Wing Luke Museum, and inside the store there are shelves displaying products from the old Higo Variety Store, as well as a small exhibition space displaying suitcases that the Murakami family took with them when they were incarcerated.

The International District is close to downtown, and the expanding Link Light Rail runs through Union Station in the district. Due to its convenience, there is a high possibility that redevelopment will be rapidly expanded in the future. "The generations of people living in the community will change, but if we demolish everything and completely erase it, the atmosphere will be lost and we will not be able to convey any of the history of this place to tourists. We need to change what needs to be changed and preserve the traditions that need to be preserved," emphasizes Vinco.

"Meet me at Higo. An Enduring Story of a Japanese American Family," published by the Wing Luke Museum in 2011, tells the story of KOBO and the Murakami family. Binko was deeply involved in the production of the book. This book is displayed in the corner of the KOBO store that displays items related to the Murakami family and prewar Japantown, so please be sure to pick it up when you visit.

*This article is reprinted from the North American Newspaper (October 10, 2019).

© 2019 Kana Furukawa / The North American Post