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The young Kichimatsu:
Kichimatsu was born in 1858 in the coastal town of Toba, in a Japan in the throes of social and cultural change. In the five years since the arrival of the American Commodore Matthew Perry, the country had been forced to end its period of voluntary isolation, known as Sakoku, and open up to foreign trade. The Edo period of the Tokugawa Shogunate was gradually coming to an end.

Toba region, south-east of Kyoto, Japan

With his father ill, Kichimatsu, as the eldest son, helped out in the family noodle restaurant and with the education of his 7 brothers and 3 sisters. It was during this childhood that he was greatly influenced by the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of his grandfather Kichizo, to whom his name is a tribute.

From the age of 9 he attended the local school and from the age of 12 he went to what was then an unusual western school. It was there that he learnt the basics of English and Arabic numerals, but also that he developed a project: to become the third richest man in his region (the first two were beyond his reach). To this end, he started his own vegetable business alongside the family restaurant.

Working around the bay, he observed the oyster and pearl fishermen every day. It was from these moments that his fascination with this aquatic world began.

In 1875, at the age of 17, he became the exclusive purveyor to an English ship anchored in the port of Toba, earning his first foreign exchange.
Finally, in 1878, the young Kichimitsu took his adult name and became Kokichi Mikimoto.

Photograph by Kokichi Mikimoto in 1878

Kokichi and pearls:
It was during this period that his interest in pearls took on a new dimension. When he saw a number of pearls at an exhibition, he was disappointed by their poor quality, whether in terms of roundness, colour or size. This led to the idea of finding a new way to obtain pearls of better quality, but also in greater numbers. Pearls were fashionable, but demand far outstripped production.

In 1888, he obtained a loan to set up his first pearl farm in Bai d'Ago. For several years he experimented with different techniques to force oysters to form pearls. It was only when he was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1893 that he finally succeeded in creating his first pearls. His technique was to place a fragment of mother-of-pearl inside the oyster.

Unfortunately, this was not the success he had hoped for. In fact, his pearls were only half spheres (in jewellery jargon, 'mabe') and the general public did not understand the nature of these creations. To encourage potential buyers and help them understand his work, he opened his first shop in the Ginza district of Tokyo. From 1897 he even began to export them, notably to the Great Norwegian Naval Exhibition.

Mikimoto's first shop in Tokyo's Ginza district

After another dozen years of research, Mikimoto succeeded in obtaining his first round pearls, but it was not until the 1920s that he was able to grow enough to market them.

 

The rise of Mikimoto:
Whereas in previous years demand had outstripped production, Mikimoto reversed the trend. After flooding the Japanese market with his pearls and causing prices to plummet, he began promoting his pearls in Europe and the United States himself, building an international image. On several occasions during his publicity tours, he burned piles of his inferior pearls to reassure journalists that his company kept only the very best.

Mikimoto destroys pearls in Kobe in 1932

It was also during this period that he developed his jewellery business in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Armed with new knowledge, Mikimoto created a unique style, a blend of Japanese and European traditions that revolutionised Japanese jewellery.

Art-Deco brooch set with Pearls, Diamonds, Emeralds and Sapphires

In France, Mikimoto placed his trust in the Worms brothers, pearl merchants, and from 1925 made them the leading importer of cultured pearls in France. The Worms brothers entrusted the management of these Japanese imports to the young Samuel Fred, the same Fred who would found the famous jewellery house a few years later.

In 1927, Mikimoto met the inventor Thomas Edison and the two men developed a mutual respect for each other.

A firm believer in peace at a time when relations between the Japanese Empire and the United States were becoming increasingly strained, it was at the 1939 New York World's Fair that Mikimoto exhibited one of his most impressive creations to date: a reproduction of the Liberty Bell, made from 12,250 pearls, 366 diamonds and mother-of-pearl. Measuring 93cm by 71cm and weighing 35.5kg, this tribute to the American Revolution was intended to ease the strained diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States. The Million Dollar Bell (nearly $23 million in inflation), as it became known, caused quite a stir among visitors.
Mikimoto plans to display the bell again at the Osaka World Expo in 2025.

Mikimoto's Liberty Bell

During the war, he closed all his farms and chose not to participate in the war effort in order to maintain his personal neutrality. Oysters don't fight," he declared.
From then on, he enjoyed a reputation not only for his pearls, but also for his company's jewellery creations, and was one of the first Japanese to establish a permanent presence in Paris, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai and Bombay after the Second World War.

Kokichi Mikimoto died in 1954 at the age of 96, certain that he had fulfilled young Kichimitsu's dream (as well as becoming the richest man in his province) of 'adorning the necks of all the women in the world with pearls'.
For his invaluable creation and contribution to Japan's influence, he was made a member of the Chamber of Peers by Imperial decree and awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, one of the highest posthumous honours of the Japanese state. The Japanese Patent Office still considers him 'one of the 10 greatest Japanese inventors'.
Shortly before the end of his life, he had the great honour of receiving a personal visit from the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

Kokichi Mikimoto in 1953

Mikimoto since :
Since the death of its founder, Mikimoto has become best known for its crowns, tiaras and jewellery sets. Mikimoto was the official jeweller of Miss USA from 2003 to 2008 and of Miss Universe from 2002 to 2007 and from 2017 to 2019.

Miss Universe ‘Phoenix’ Tiara by Mikimoto

Mikimoto was also chosen to create a stunning five-piece set - brooch, necklace, earrings, bracelet and tiara - for the birthday of Imperial Princess Kako, the second daughter of the Emperor of Japan. The tiara, decorated with floral motifs and Japanese emblems, is a source of national pride.

In recent years, the Japanese jeweller has made a name for itself with striking, modern creations such as the high jewellery collections 'The Bow' and 'Praise to the Sea'.

"Bow' pearl, diamond and emerald high jewellery necklace

Since 1986, Mikimoto has also had a boutique on the famous Place Vendôme, after many years on the Rue de Châteaudun.

Maison Mikimoto also has a museum dedicated to its founder and his history, on the site of his pearl farm on Ojima Island, opposite the town of Toba where he grew up. Here you can see one of Mikimoto's other treasures, a crown of 872 pearls created in 1978 to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the first cultured pearls, as well as an impressive 57kg globe made up of 18,774 pearls, 712 diamonds and 377 rubies...

Two of Mikimoto's British-inspired crowns

 

Controversy:
Although Mikimoto is now recognised for his major contribution to the democratisation and commercialisation of cultured pearls, the authorship of the discovery of this method remains controversial. In fact, an English marine biologist named William Saville-Kent is said to have discovered the technique of cultivating round pearls around 1895, while Mikimoto registered his first patent for cultivating half pearls in 1896. Two other Japanese, Tokichi Nishikawa, a government biologist, and Tatsuhei Mise, travelled as far as Australia to learn the secrets of pearl farming from the Englishman before filing a joint patent for pearl farming in 1907. Mikimoto then had to modify his own technique in order to patent it in 1908.

Photograph of William Saville-Kent studying fragments of the Great Barrier Reef in 1893

Mikimoto also suffered throughout his career from rumours about the authenticity of his pearls. In 1921, in particular, his company began what became known as ‘The Paris Trial’. It all began when an article appeared in a London newspaper claiming that ‘the cultured pearls sold by a certain Japanese merchant are nothing but imitations of real pearls’. Little by little, the case moved across the Channel and it was in a court in the French capital that Mikimoto won his case. From then on, the reputation of his pearls was assured around the globe.

 

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