Story

Creating a completely new world – together.

Arakawa’s technology propels people’s imagination. Create what doesn’t exist yet: this is doctor of engineering Hideo Arakawa’s guiding principle that lies behind everything his company does. The inception was the Arakawa Grip, a never-before-seen mechanism for quick, easy, and adjustable attachment to a wire. Decades on, it remains in wide use today for picture rails.
We went around the world working with different people to create all kinds of spaces. Art museums. Galleries. Shops. Homes. There are as many ways to use the Arakawa Grip as there are users. In response to customers' needs, we have expanded our lineup to over five hundred products.
Dependable functionality. Beautiful design. Created with you.

Creating a completely new world – together.

Contributing to New Artistic Expressions, From Three Distinct Perspectives

Behind their success are further improvements in manufacturing quality, communication with users and creators, and the development of new technologies to meet their needs. Such work is carried out primarily by the three brothers Hajime, Hitoshi, and Makoto, sons of the company's founder, Hideo Arakawa. Hajime is in charge of company management, Hitoshi is in charge of strategic product development and manufacturing, and Makoto is in charge of marketing and sales promotion. Their stories reveal a shared view of the philosophy and products of ARAKAWA GRIP.

Passion and Collaboration, Integral Factors in Manufacturing

Hajime Arakawa

President

My first name," 創," means "to originate," and I learned after I joined ARAKAWA GRIP that it represents the company's very philosophy of "creating something that never existed." Especially since my age and the company's history align closely, I find it incredibly meaningful that it has been 50 years since its start. We are the second generation of the company that my father founded, so ARAKAWA GRIP developed when I was a kindergarten or elementary school student. I remember my brothers and I helping to insert flyers into the catalogs for the tradeshow, Japan Shop, held in March every year in Tokyo. At the time, ARAKAWA GRIP began without targeting any specific market, so we were not urged to follow in my father’s footsteps, and we grew up exploring our own paths. Therefore, I majored in civil engineering in college and then worked at a construction consultant firm designing and planning projects after graduation. On the other hand, I am involved in all aspects of the company, including sales and marketing today.
Having a gallery for creators in place has expanded how people connect on different levels. People can sense the passion of the creators who exhibit, which inspires new audiences and leads to unexpected ventures. From the gallery operation, I can experience and learn this firsthand. I have the same desire for company management. Continuous collaborative creation through manufacturing, in which all employees actively participate, will undoubtedly lead to the next level of growth. I would like to shape and create together with diverse stakeholders through dialogues in various forms at our factory, gallery, and showroom. I also intend to continue working diligently towards gaining more significant recognition of ARAKAWA GRIP in overseas markets.

Unconventional Approach

Hitoshi Arakawa

Senior Managing Director

The company was first located near the Kanda River, where the river would often overflow and cause flooding, and I remember helping to carry back some pieces that had been soaked in water to our home to wipe them off. For some time after that, I was not around and had little involvement with the company. Then, when I was in my fourth year of college, my father had me chauffeur him on visits to affiliated manufacturers, presumably as part of a learning experience. As it turned out, after touring factories in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, I joined a company in this region following my graduation from university. I spent seven and a half years engaged in my ambition of developing snowmobiles, where I had the unique opportunity to experience working on a model for the Antarctic Research Expedition.
Today, I am involved in the engineering department of ARAKAWA GRIP. From the perspective derived from the frontlines of manufacturing, I am determined to create products and projects that users choose. As our chairman often emphasized, "Always be inventive," I firmly believe that this spirit of "creating something that doesn't exist" is embedded in me. Since our accomplishments are built on the contributions of the employees and affiliated manufacturers, I will continue to work hard to maximize collective effort for the company's further growth. At the 50th anniversary event, all employees, including those who usually work at the factory, were able to come together to enjoy and experience how our products are used and sold around the world. I believe in the company's unconventional and open-minded approach. Moving forward, I intend to continue working in unison to explore innovative and exciting opportunities for the future path of ARAKAWA GRIP.

In Pursuit of Global Excellency

Makoto Arakawa

Sales Department Manager

I was only a toddler or preschooler when our distribution office was launched in the U.S. in 1986. My parents did not feel comfortable leaving me in Japan when they had to make business trips, so I often traveled with them to the U.S. I remember home-staying with a family of local colleagues when my parents were away for business, even though I did not speak any of the local language. After graduating from college, I sought employment at a machine tool builder, which may have had some bearing on the fact that ARAKAWA GRIP is also a manufacturer. I spent eight years in sales for that company, taking a keen interest in products and manufacturing processes at companies of all sizes. Today, at ARAKAWA GRIP, I am primarily involved in sales development and overseas sales, as well as managing TIERS GALLERY and working with creators. It has been five years since the gallery opened, and its people and exhibits are diverse and creative, just as the ARAKAWA GRIP itself continues to be utilized multi-faceted.
I cherish the conversation between my brothers some time ago, "Let's make a name for ourselves in the world." The ARAKAWA GRIP developed by my father is constantly evolving, yet it should be preserved as a legacy at the same time. In addition, compared to its prominent reputation in Japan, it is still in the early stages of international recognition. To this end, we have newly expanded our showroom in Italy. We will continue to take action so that our products will increasingly be utilized in a broader scope around the world. From this approach, all stakeholders, including architects, designers, and employees, will share the belief that "ARAKAWA GRIP is always interesting, original, and inventive." As such, participation in Milano Design Week, interviews with creators, publication of the book, and the 50th anniversary event have been significant. I intend to pursue and refine the unique characteristics of ARAKAWA GRIP and always strive for innovation.

Kaori Akiyama

50 GRIPS Director / STUDIO BYCOLOR

The 50th-anniversary project of ARAKAWA GRIP, "50 GRIPS," was conceptualized by a product designer and founder of STUDIO BYCOLOR, Kaori Akiyama. She has been fascinated by the company from the standpoint of product design and proposed a 50th-anniversary commemorative book bound using an ARAKAWA GRIP to create greater product accessibility. Interviewing 50 creators led to a rediscovery of ARAKAWA GRIP. There followed a series of dialogues with numerous individuals involved in the ARAKAWA GRIP on conveying these perceptions to creators around the world who were still unknown to the company.
For the 50th anniversary, Kaori invited we+ as a creative team for the exhibition featuring ARAKAWA GRIP with seaweed entitled "Less, Light, Local" at Milan Design Week 2023. In the following September, she commissioned Hiroto Yoshizoe to create a piece utilizing the full potential of the ARAKAWA GRIP to be exhibited, and "ubique" was unveiled. They successfully communicated the fascinating features of ARAKAWA GRIP as an entity that supports creation behind the scenes by hanging, stretching, and more. The "biblioteca d‘Oro," featuring a 50th anniversary commemorative book, is scheduled to be held during Milan Design Week 2024. We hope that these projects will inspire people and provide opportunities for new forms of expression.

50 GRIPS Members: Kaori Akiyama; Makoto Arakawa; Azumi Mitsuboshi; Masaaki Takahashi; Hajime Kurumata; Junya Maejima; Akira Sakakibara; Shizuka Konishi; Shima Koyama

Special Thanks: Aia Urakawa; Kumi Katsura; Mai Tsunoo; Masafumi Tashiro; Takahiro Tsuchida; Takenari Yoshida; Takeshi Yuda; Yumi Ueno