mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
What Is mizutori?
Episode 61
What's the Story Behind the Name "mizutori"?
Every now and then,
when I'm at our shop,
someone asks me,
"What does mizutori mean?"
My answer is always simple.
"It's my family name."
And almost every time,
the response is,
"Really?"
Many people are surprised.
Today,
more and more people
recognize the name mizutori.
But it wasn't originally created
as a brand name.
When we first began
making geta,
our company mainly produced
insoles
for shoes and sandals.
To distinguish
our new geta business,
we simply called it
Wa Kobo Mizutori
(Japanese Workshop Mizutori).
Years passed,
and little by little,
our dream grew.
We wanted
not only people in Japan,
but people around the world,
to discover geta.
When the time came
to create a brand,
we chose the simple name
mizutori.
The surname Mizutori
is actually quite uncommon
in Japan.
Because of that,
many customers
never realize
that our brand name
comes from my own family name.
Even here in Shizuoka,
it's considered unusual.
I've heard
that the name originally comes
from a place in Gifu Prefecture,
which is why
it's found a little more often
in Gifu
and neighboring Aichi.
There's another story
I've heard, too.
Whether it's true or not,
I honestly don't know.
But it's my favorite.
Long ago,
a local lord
was crossing the Abe River
on horseback
when he accidentally
dropped his sword
into the water.
One of my ancestors,
who was traveling with him,
jumped into the river
and retrieved it.
Watching him swim,
the lord is said to have remarked,
"You swim
just like a water bird."
As a reward,
he gave him
the family name
Mizutori.
Is it true?
I have no idea.
But somehow,
I like believing
that it is.
Perhaps that's because
my father,
the previous president
of our company,
was also an excellent swimmer.
He used to joke
that people called him
"the kappa of the Abe River"—
a playful nickname
in Japan
for someone who loves the water.
Somewhere along the way,
our family seems to have gone
from water birds
to kappa.
Still,
perhaps the love of swimming
really has been passed down
through the generations.
So yes—
I secretly believe
that old story.
I've always loved
my family name.
Partly because
it's unusual.
Partly because
I simply like
how it sounds.
Our family crest
features a crane,
which always seemed
to suit the name beautifully.
When I was in junior high school,
I even remember thinking,
"I hope I can keep this name,
even after I get married."
Of course,
at that age,
I never imagined
that I would someday
take over
the family business.
Then,
many years later,
life surprised me.
I unexpectedly
found myself
taking over
the family business.
Then came
another surprise—
I married someone
from another country.
And somehow,
I still have
the name Mizutori.
Now,
that same name
has become
our brand.
None of it
was planned.
Yet somehow,
it feels
as though the name
was always meant
to find its way here.
These days,
I sometimes hear customers
say things like,
"Oh, it's mizutori!"
"I have a pair of mizutori geta."
"I really like mizutori."
At first,
hearing my own surname
spoken as a brand name
felt a little strange—
and honestly,
a little embarrassing.
But now,
every time
someone says it
with affection,
I simply feel grateful.
And sometimes,
I think about
that old story again.
If it really happened,
I wonder
what that lord
would think
if he knew
that the name
he once gave
would one day become
the name
of a geta brand
loved by people
hundreds of years later.
That thought
always makes me smile.
And it reminds me
just how precious
the name mizutori
will always be
to me.
