日本橋髙島屋、90年の誇りと革新をかたちに。 老舗百貨店、歌舞伎名門家との共創ストーリー

In March 1933, Nihombashi Takashimaya was born in a commercial district, and for a long time, it has created bustling crowds of people. As it reached the milestone of its 90th anniversary in opening in 2023, it was looking for a partner to act as a companion from the planning to the operation of the commemorative events.
As a result of the review, NOMURA MEDIAS was chosen. NOMURA MEDIAS has been in charge of setting up event spaces and interior decoration at Takashimaya for 30 years. They have a track record of managing commemorative events twice previously at other stores.
Mr. Yuki Mori (then department manager), the overall supervisor of the 90th anniversary event and head of the Planning and Publicity Department, recalled, "NOMURA MEDIAS's understood the experiential value we wanted to achieve and provided new ideas."
Nihonbashi Takashimaya aimed to express gratitude to the customers who have supported them for 90 years since their founding, to restore the bustling atmosphere to Nihonbashi, which had stagnated due to the pandemic, and to reach out to demographics unfamiliar with department stores. Furthermore, they decided to express "past, present, and future" over three periods.
In response to these requests, planner Hanako Tsuda, who was in charge of the presentation, held numerous meetings with Tomohito Yashiro, who has been in charge of Nihonbashi Takashimaya for 17 years as an account producer. They organized the elements behind the 90th-anniversary project into three key themes: "Real Experience Value," "Sentiments Inherited Across Generations," and "The Vibrant Edo Town, Nihonbashi." Focusing on Nihonbashi Takashimaya's long history and tradition, they established "Unconventional" as the concept.
To be unconventional means to have learned the
As a symbol suitable for embodying this concept, the one that came to mind was "Koraiya," a prestigious kabuki family whose signboard has been passed down through three generations: Matsumoto Hakuo II, Matsumoto Koshiro X, and Ichikawa Somegoro VIII. Tsuda speaks about the intention as follows.
To restore the vibrancy of Nihonbashi Takashimaya, communication design is necessary not only for traditional customers but also for new ones. We considered how to strike this balance and, after examining what would be accepted by Nihonbashi's future customer base, we decided that Kōraiya would be its symbol. We wanted the third generation of Kōraiya, who inherit and continue tradition, to express Nihonbashi Takashimaya's ideal form and cherished sentiments."

Starting with the first sale on January 2, 2023, various events were held over the course of about half a year for the 90th anniversary. Naturally, the center of attention was the three generations of the Komoraiya image characters: Kabuki actors Hakuo Matsumoto II, Koshiro Matsumoto X, and Somegoro Ichikawa VIII.
Tsuda redefined the request from Nihonbashi Takashimaya to "develop three periods divided into past, present, and future themes" as "gratitude, inspiration, and joy." The first period is "gratitude" to customers, the second is "inspiration" to deliver to customers, and the third is "joy" for being able to draw the future together with customers and continue to walk forward.
Tsuda, who was also in charge of communication with the Kōraiya family, was working hard to "create an exhibition where the theme of the 90th anniversary event and the fundamental essence of what the Kōraiya family inherits are firmly linked." During this process, he witnessed the spirit that lives on in Kabuki, which has been passed down for 350 years in the Kōraiya family, and the high level of awareness towards each piece of craftsmanship.
"Mr. Matsumoto Koshiro is a man full of ideas, and in order to embody them, the display expertise we have cultivated over many years was fully demonstrated."
One of the ways the idea was embodied was the "scene reproduction" exhibition, where mannequins were posed in kabuki performance postures. Tsuda reveals the discussions leading up to its realization.
"The production team held meetings with the creators of Kabuki wigs and costumes, and barbers (craftsmen who style hair). Kabuki wigs and costumes are heavy, making the display method with mannequins difficult. However, with the desire to create a sense of realism, we went through trial and error, including selecting articulated mannequins and modifying the heads to fit the wigs, and carefully addressed every detail."
Another challenge was the portrayal of "Benkei" by the eighth generation Ichikawa Somegoro, who at 18 years old, is a rising star in the Kabuki world. Benkei, who appears in the Kabuki play "Kanjincho," is a role passed down through generations of the Kōraiya family. Benkei is special to the Kōraiya family. It was the source of the strong passion passed down through generations of the Matsumoto Kōshirō family.

The 90th Anniversary Special Exhibition "The Matsumoto Koshiro Family Komoraiya Exhibition: Hakuo Matsumoto, Koshiro Matsumoto, Somegoro Ichikawa - A Single Bond Passed Down Across Generations" completed in this way turned out to be a triumphant success, with the three generations of Komoraiya even remarking that "it became a wonderful exhibition for the Matsumoto family."
Mr. Mori (former General Manager) speaks about the positive results, saying, "The high quality of both product creation and experience creation truly stood out. We received many words of praise even from customers well-versed in high-quality culture."
During the six-month event period, NOMURA MEDIAS was involved in many aspects, including the event itself, campaigns, video production, and exhibitions, overseeing the project under Mr. Mori (then department manager). The ability to achieve an extraordinary amount of information sharing and communication is due to risk hedging for each initiative and building a mutually supportive relationship with Nihonbashi Takashimaya. Mr. Mori (then department manager) says this:
I placed great importance on the personalities of everyone involved, including planner Tsuda-san and Yashiro-san, who managed the production and on-site progress as our point of contact. For this 90th-anniversary event, a strong relationship of trust was crucial as we carefully observed the site and exchanged opinions. In that sense, I am truly glad that these two, who approached us with sincerity, were in charge."
Recognizing NOMURA MEDIAS as a "partner to build the project together with," and with Tsuda and Yashiro responding in kind by driving the project forward with a strong commitment, "the elegance characteristic of Nihombashi Takashimaya" was brought to the events.
The 90th-anniversary event, which was covered by the media and attracted many visitors, added a new page to Nihonbashi Takashimaya's history. Behind its success was a process of deeply examining the company's history, current situation, and the character of the Nihonbashi area, with project members engaging each other thoughtfully. NOMURA MEDIAS S will continue to sincerely address the challenges of society and clients, shaping their aspirations with its inherent ability to accompany them."}, {