Denshichi Murata

Denshichi Murata was born in 1848 as the seventh son of Denbei Murata, in the Town of Sawa, Higashinari-gun, Osaka Prefecture. Denshichi grew up to be a rice dealer who ran a store named “Komeden.”

During the second half of 19th century hand-woven carpets called “Sakai Dantsu” were widely manufactured, as a side business, in the area from Sakai to Osaka Sumiyoshi, as export items to the United States. Denshichi Murata also decided to improve his economic situation by producing carpets and purchased three looms and began to manufacture carpets while running a rice store. He opened the Murata Factory in 1883 in Sumiyoshi Village, Higashinari-gun, Osaka Prefecture (now Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City).

Originally started as a side business in a private household, this small factory for manufacturing hand-woven carpets was soon receiving orders for interiors for railway cars and ships, and even for the Imperial Diet Building, heralding the dawn of Japan’s carpet industry.

This was the outcome of the close ties with Takashimaya that Denshichi Murata had built up since their first encounter. Takashimaya (now one of Japan’s leading department store retailers) was a long-established kimono merchant, which had then moved to expand its overseas trading activities in response to international demand, and which was also aggressive in supplying textiles for interiors. The company Denshichi Murata started operates even today.