At our company, we receive various inquiries about scrolls from all over the world.

Among them, we would like to introduce a special order from a customer in the United Kingdom.

The content was a request to produce a scroll with the name “Saigō Takamori” written in Japanese.

Through this project, we carefully communicated with the customer and completed a single scroll.

 

 

The Beginning of the Inquiry

The inquiry began with an email we received.

The content was a request to produce a scroll with the name “Saigō Takamori” written in Japanese, and detailed information about the production period, price, and delivery time to London.

Saigō Takamori… yes, he was a hero of the late Edo period. He is known for his ultimate sacrifice for justice in the Satsuma Rebellion.

He remains a popular figure in Japan, as evidenced by the 2018 NHK Taiga drama “Segodon”.

However, it was a great surprise to learn through this inquiry that he is also recognized overseas, to the extent that someone would want a scroll bearing his name.

 

Initial Proposal and Adjustments, Selecting the Fabric

In our initial response, we explained the size of the scroll.

We proposed a scroll with a width of 54.5 cm and a length of 180-190 cm.

We also informed the customer that the production and delivery would take about 1-2 months.

However, the customer replied that this size was too large and requested a width of 45 cm and a length of 150-155 cm.

We promptly accommodated this request and adjusted the size to meet the customer’s preferences.

 

For the fabric, we proposed the following options, which were adopted by the customer.

 

Communication Challenges

During the project, we encountered an unexpected issue where our emails became inexplicably disconnected.

However, both parties worked diligently to resolve the problem.

This experience taught us the importance of anticipating such possibilities when relying on email communication.

 

Completion and Words of Appreciation

After several exchanges regarding the production, despite some misunderstandings, we were able to reach a mutual agreement and complete the scroll.

 

Before shipping, we sent a photo of the completed scroll to the customer, who responded with the following email:

Dear Yuuichi-san,

Regardless of timing and all other things, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you and your team for all the hard work, efforts and what for you did for me.

I am a great admirer of Japan, your amazing culture and history, which I love with all my heart, and Japanese people as well.

The fact that I ordered a scroll with the name of one of the most amazing and influential people in your history – Saigo Takamori -speaks for itself. This is how much it means to me.

Once again, I thank you for everything. Hopefully, one day I will order something else from you.

My best wishes to you and your family. Take care. Thank you very much!!!!!

 

It was an immense honor for our company to receive such joy from the customer.

Here are the photo of the scroll displayed in the customer’s home.

 

Summary

Through this project, we have once again recognized the importance of communication with our customers.

Understanding cultural backgrounds and language differences, and always providing courteous responses, is essential in building trust.

Customizing according to customer needs and meticulous communication allowed us to complete a single piece, which was a very valuable experience for our company.

We will continue to leverage these experiences to provide products and services that satisfy our customers.

Our company is capable of producing custom-made scrolls like this. We can also create scrolls with your favorite Japanese calligraphy.

If you have any requests, please feel free to contact us.

We will continue to strive to spread Japanese art and culture worldwide.

We look forward to hearing from you.