About HushTug Leather
HushTug uses leather sourced in Himeji, Japan.
Himeji is the city that produces about 90% of Japan's leather, and is the number one producer in the country.
The leather industry has flourished since the Kamakura period, and Himeji leather was even used in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's armor.
Soft, high-quality Himeji leather is highly regarded around the world and is used by a variety of leather brands.
Every day, we research new ways to process leather, and there are now over a thousand different types.
This page introduces some of the processes used to process the leather that reaches our customers.
The tannery we visited was Nakajima Kogyosho, which also produces leather for HushTug.
This is a long-established tannery with 67 years of history, producing 2,500 to 3,000 pieces of leather each month.
Washing the skin
The first step is to remove the hair and meat from the skin taken from the animal and then wash it until it is clean.
The skins taken from animals are transported in this condition (the image has been processed in black and white because it is shocking).
Since the skin would have already started to rot before it was washed, salt is sprinkled all over it.
One of the reasons why Himeji became a thriving leather industry was that it was close to Ako City, which is known in Japan as a famous salt producing area.
When cleaning, the items are placed in large drums like this for several days.
It takes 1 to 3 tons of water to process one piece of leather.
Himeji is located between two rivers, the Ibo River and the Hayashida River, allowing it to secure a large amount of water.
The water is also soft, which allows for the production of more flexible, high-quality leather, which led to a boom in the leather industry.
Sun drying
The next step is to dry the wet skins in the sun.
Using heaters or other devices will cause the leather to lose its natural texture, so it is very important to dry it in a natural environment.
Himeji is a region in Japan that is particularly suited to sun drying due to its warm climate and low rainfall.
Relaxation
The next step is to use a machine to soften the dried and hardened skin.
If you listen closely, you can hear the powerful sound of leather clashing against leather.
staining
Finally, the leather is colored.
Pass the leather through the dye from the spray.
At this point, the leather is finally processed into the leather we are familiar with.
Himeji leather is carefully processed one piece at a time using this process.
Please enjoy the texture of the high-quality leather while reflecting on its long history.