Learning business in the land of entrepreneurs日本の美を世界に届ける「KASASAGI」を率いる塚原龍雲さん

日本の美を世界に届けるスタートアップ「KASASAGI」を率いる塚原龍雲さん。グローバルな視点と伝統への敬意を持ち、日本の伝統工芸を活かした空間プロデュースやアート制作を通じて、職人技の魅力を国内外に発信している。その出発点は、高校卒業後のアメリカ留学だったという。

Ryuun Tsukahara is the epitome of the adventurous go-getter. At just 24 years old, he is the owner and operator of Kasasagi, a startup committed to captivating the world with Japanese aesthetics. Kasasagi focuses on incorporating these aesthetics into interior design and producing spaces through artwork created with traditional artisanal techniques. Additionally, Kasasagi offers its clients access to Japanese artisanal products through its e-commerce platform.

Tsukahara launched Kasasagi in early 2020, when retail businesses worldwide went online during the pandemic. “I didn’t think I would go into business,” says Tsukahara. “But with both my father and grandfather being entrepreneurs, I had a vague sense that I would probably start a business one day. I thought of doing so in Japan but then decided to study entrepreneurship in the U.S., where serial entrepreneurship is the norm. In Japan, starting and growing several businesses all at once, or one after the other, has only recently become acceptable.”

Although Tsukahara may seem like a natural businessman, his focus in junior high and high school was soccer. He spent most of his time on the pitch and didn’t pay much attention to grades. But when graduation time rolled around, he put away his cleats and took off for the U.S. “At first, I enrolled in a language school in Orange County, California. Since I had never studied much, I couldn’t even get through the alphabet without stumbling.”

Six months later, Tsukahara graduated from the language school, tearing through a one-year curriculum by passing every exam along the way. “I studied as if everything was on the line – probably the hardest I’ve ever studied,” he recalls. He then went on to study entrepreneurship at a college in Santa Monica and was accepted to a university in Los Angeles. However, he soon realized the importance of truly understanding traditional Japanese crafts. In March 2020, while still in the U.S., Tsukahara established Kasasagi. A few months later, he left his studies and returned to Japan. “As a Japanese, I realized my greatest asset in the global business world is my connection to traditional Japanese culture. Traditional artisanal products are untranslatable and need a spokesperson. I can work with Japanese artisans in their language and communicate with foreign investors in English.”

Tsukahara’s key takeaway is that English skills are crucial for global business. “Study for six months as if your life depended on it, and then English skills will be yours for life.”

Tsukahara’s language skills had shot from rock bottom to soaring heights. How did he pull that off? “The reason is simple – I just studied like mad. I studied so hard that I had to be hospitalized.” In Orange County, Tsukahara once hopped himself up on energy drinks and caffeine tablets and studied night and day for five days straight. He was hospitalized with an ulcer. “After that, I slept for three hours a day but otherwise, I devoted every minute to studying.” Currently, Tsukahara says he maintains his hard-earned language skills by traveling through the U.S. on business and talking daily with his overseas clients and investors.

His studying habits also made him observant and pensive. Tsukahara believes that the differing perspectives on traditional Japanese crafts stem from cultural differences. “Overseas, people will look at a traditional craft product and ask about the ‘why.’ They’re interested in why the artisan made that product and what he was thinking about. A Japanese person will look at the same item and ask about the ‘how.’ How long did it take to make and what are the ingredients and techniques? The Japanese are used to a more practical approach to artisanal products. And historically, the Japanese artisan wants to work in a headspace that is liberated from the ‘why’ to concentrate on the ‘how.’ I feel that a large part of my work is to translate this untranslatable terrain.” (Kaori Shoji)

Words to live by