From her first steps learning at an embroiderer’s as a 15 year old apprentice fresh out of junior high school, Shimazaki-san has followed this path for 50 years.
Her business will soon be feting its 45th year.

“This is something I wrote two years ago,” explains Shimazaki-san.
The letters exude sincerity.

With her colorful thread all laid out in a row before her as she works, Shimazaki-san paints a pretty picture.
Decorated as it is with many years worth of her works, hand-drawn designs, illustrated motifs and photographs, the store tells its own long and interesting story.

In the past Shimazaki-san would receive large orders from companies and schools, but with the spread of print design, the orders have shrunk.
“Nowadays there are all sorts of convenient things, like computer-assisted embroidering machines, so it’s easy to do,” explains Shimazaki-san.

And yet, a single glance at Shimazaki-san’s embroidery is enough to convince anyone of the high quality of the craftmanship and her good taste. Shimazaki-san never turns down a customer’s design. Working from the photo or drawing that they provide, she produces an accurate design, which she then reflects with her multi-colored threads.

“Nowadays, you have computers, don’t you. In the past it would all be drawn by hand. It was really tough, I can tell you,” says Shimazaki-san, showing an old sketch that she takes down from the back of a shelf.
“You recognise this photo, don’t you? John Lennon.”
“Yes, it really is John Lennon, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the famous John Lennon. I often used to receive orders from him, you know. And then there’s this, err…who was this again? A young singer from a while back. Yutaka something or other…”
“It’s Yutaka Ozaki!”
“Ahh, that’s right. But you wouldn’t have known, if I hadn’t said so, eh? I suppose it doesn’t resemble him. Hahaha.”
“That’s not true! I did recognise him!”
The wave of design after design causes the conversation to get animated.

Sorting through, Shimazaki-san sucks in a breath and says, “Ahh, yes, this one was difficult…” As she spots a photo of a white Maltese dog.
When I ask Shimazaki-san about whether she’d found orders to be difficult, she replies very frankly:
“That happens a lot. There are times when it’s really difficult, when I have no confidence and showing the embroidery to the customer is really frightening, because I’m worried what they will think when they see it.”
And yet, it seems that all of her customers have been overjoyed with her embroidery.
Which is only to be expected, as someone who loves and embodies what she does, and for whom there can be no substitute.
Of course, there is also the fact that she is a master of her craft.
And this explains why she has never experienced the reverse, where a customer has been angry and told her, “I don’t like this.”
One would expect nothing less.

Shimazaki-san shows me some photos from her time as an apprentice.
In those days there was nothing unusual about specialist embroiderer’s, and in the neighborhood of Koza where Shimazaki-san did her apprenticeship, there were many.

In Kin Town, where she set up her own embroiderer’s, there used to be seven or eight such businesses. Over the years, however, they closed down, one after the other until, a few years ago, Shimazaki Embroiderer’s became the sole remaining example.

And yet, even now, when something is too complicated for a computer-assisted embroiding machine, orders will come to Shimazaki-san.
For example, gradation, where fine thread, or where threads of similar color are called for, is not something that is easy to do.
Not unexpectedly, we learn that there is something that Shimazaki-san alone can do!

Don’t you feel a little flutter of the heart at the thought of wearing your own, favorite design? If there’s something that suddenly occurs to you, then you can definitely rely on Shimazaki-san to make it a reality for you.

Basic information

Address	4286 Kin, Kin Town, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture
Car parking	No parking
Open Hours	11：00～20：30
Fixed Holidays	No set holidays
Contact Details	Shimazaki Embroiderer's
Telephone	098-968-4892