Recently, I feel like KOMA is finally starting to become something resembling an organization.
When we started with Kamei 18 years ago, we were only doing low-paying contract work, and no matter how much we worked, we weren't making a profit, so we spent every day sleeping in a dilapidated van wrapped in packing blankets.
He trained hard and set his sights on becoming independent, aiming to "open his own store and create products of art-quality," but what was demanded was cheapness and speed rather than quality.
The quality of our business partners was also terrible, and we were left with millions of yen in unpaid bills due to bankruptcy or sudden disappearances, which left us stumbling and on the verge of collapse each time.
Not only is my ideal out of reach, but I feel as if I've lost sight of where it even is, and as I spend my days in agony, I get the illusion that I'm the only one who's drawn the losing lottery and is struggling, and I lose sight of what's going on around me.
"The most important thing at all times is friends! Friends are all we have!"
Those words from my senior still stick in my eardrums.
"I don't really understand. I can go alone."
I remember giving him a cheeky response.
"I don't dislike that about you."
He then invited me to go surfing.
It's strange, but each time I understand a word better, I feel like I'm making progress one step at a time.
I want to create good products. That desire has not changed since my training days.
However, in order to sustain and improve this, in addition to production skills, an environment that utilizes and supports them is important, and when a countless number of different elements come together in balance, a sustainable cycle of good manufacturing is born.
Today's KOMA is made up of members who understand their role, are ambitious, and work hard for their teammates.
In this way, I feel like we have become a team that can make up for each other's weaknesses and develop each other's strengths.
Thanks to them, we have been able to take on symbolic jobs that allow us to represent the Japanese flag, such as the Tokyo Olympics and the World Expo, and we have also been able to expand our business overseas.
In addition to winning awards in Japan, it was selected as one of the top 9 products in the world in the UK, won a gold medal in Italy, and also received an award in Germany.
He was also awarded the title of "Contemporary Master Craftsman" by the government.
The entire team is making each of the dreams that Kamei and I shared 18 years ago come true.
We're only a team of just over 10 people, but we couldn't have asked for more reliable teammates.
That said, I'm not the least bit satisfied.
There's still a long way to go.
"We're friends! We're friends!" I'm slowly beginning to understand the true meaning of these simple words.