STORY

When I was in elementary school, the first McDonald's to open in a Ginza department store
was the first America I ever felt and tasted.
From then on, wanting to know more about America, I devoured magazines that introduced it,
listened to FEN, and watched Hollywood movies, allowing my vague longing for the country of America to grow.
Wondering how I could touch and experience this enormous longing,
I first immersed myself in American fashion as part of the essentials of daily life.
Eventually, I was fortunate enough to find work in the American clothing industry,
and as I gained colleagues who shared the same passion,
my days became even more enveloped in that enormous longing.

In the midst of this, I encountered something called Indian jewelry,
and a deep interest in its allure and the people called Indians began to sprout.
And that is how I became who I am today.

The people who were already living on that land before I, who longed for and obsessed over America, even before America was called America,
and who continue to live there today, are the ones who create the very things that led me to the ultimate and final
longing I had been pursuing: MADE IN AMERICA.

I was taught by a Hopi jewelry artist
"Everything we create is art, and it is a prayer."
I am grateful that Longbranch is involved in the work of introducing the Indian jewelry created by them
to so many people.
And I sincerely wish to enjoy the world of American Indian art & craft with all of you,
and share it with you.

December 2012 Longbranch Representative Yoji Morita