Latest news with #Kitamura
Nikkei Asia
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Nikkei Asia
Japan machine tool maker Kitamura launches Chinese sales arm
TOYAMA, Japan -- Japan's Kitamura Machinery said Monday that it has set up a sales unit in China to export high-precision machine tools, expanding its presence in the country. Kitamura has already exported machine tools for auto parts to China. With the new subsidiary, set to start operating this month, it is targeting "areas that the Chinese government has bolstered through subsidies," according to a company representative.
Japan Forward
4 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Tokyo Yushun: Race Favorite Croix du Nord Delivers Impressive Victory
Guided by jockey Yuichi Kitamura, the Kitasan Black offspring maintained a fast pace throughout the 92nd Tokyo Yushun and finished strong to secure the win. Croix du Nord, piloted by Yuichi Kitamura, wins the 92nd Tokyo Yushun on June 1, 2025, at Tokyo Racecourse. (©SANKEI) Odds-on favorite Croix du Nord validated his Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000 meters) victory in December 2024 by winning the 92nd Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) by three-quarters of a length on Sunday, June 1. The son of Kitasan Black had three wins in as many starts last year and kicked off the 2025 racing campaign with the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000, Guineas, G1, 2,000 meters) on April 20 as the heavy favorite. In that race, Croix du Nord had to settle for second, 1½ lengths behind Museum Mile. On Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse, trainer Takashi Saito and jockey Yuichi Kitamura both claimed their first Japan Racing Association G1 title since the 2024 Hopeful Stakes with this colt. It was Saito's ninth overall G1 win and Kitamura's seventh. While it was their first Classic title for both the trainer and jockey, owner Sunday Racing notched its fifth Japanese Derby victory — renewing the JRA record for most Derby titles won. The 92nd running of the Tokyo Yushun at Tokyo Racecourse. (©SANKEI) Croix du Nord broke smoothly from stall 13, shifted closer to the inside and secured a prominent position around third or fourth behind Satono Shining (Yutaka Take's ride), who was rushed to the front in his bid to lead the 18-horse field. He then gave way to Ho O Atman (Hironobu Tanabe) soon after as a pacesetter entering the backstretch. Kitamura kept his mount in good rhythm as Ho O Atman increased his lead from the rest of the field by almost 10 lengths. The 2,400-meter race began in earnest as the leader weakened 300 meters out. At that point, Croix du Nord came powerfully up the center lane to duel with Satono Shining. Croix du Nord then pulled away from Satono Shining at the furlong pole while holding off a powerful chase by runner-up Masquerade Ball (Ryusei Sakai) and third-place finisher Shohei (Christophe Lemaire) to earn a three-quarter length victory. ( Watch the full race on the JRA's YouTube channel. ) Winning jockey Yuichi Kitamura (©SANKEI) "I felt it was my responsibility to make Croix du Nord a Derby winner ever since the colt won the Hopeful Stakes. So my feeling now is that I am relieved to have accomplished my mission," Kitamura said after the race. "The whole process since the win last year, including our runner-up effort in the Satsuki Sho, was a meaningful and precious learning experience for me." Added Kitamura, "The colt felt great today and I was able to come into the race with every confidence, so victory itself came as no surprise to me." How did the race unfold? "The break was smooth and after that, I was concentrating on keeping him in a comfortable rhythm more so than what position he was sitting in," said Kitamura. "In the stretch run, he responded really well and as I've said, I had every confidence in the colt and drove him on believing that he would make it to the wire a winner." The start of the 92nd Tokyo Yushun. (©SANKEI) Masquerade Ball secured a comfortable position in mid-field with a close view of the race favorite and eventual winner, running a few lengths in front. Giving the colt a breather along the backstretch before edging closer along the outside approaching the last two turns, Sakai guided the colt further out for a clear run into the stretch where the son of Duramente turned in a terrific turn of foot. He closed in on the eventual winner while overtaking both Shohei and Satono Shining to secure second place, although just short of reaching the winner. Shohei made use of an inside break to sit close to the pace while saving ground along the rails before shifting out slightly coming into the straight to follow the eventual winner. And while unable to match that foe, Shohei ran gamely to overtake Satono Shining in the last strides to secure third place. Satono Shining finished fourth, a neck's length behind Shohei. Eighth pick Eri King (Yuga Kawada) and second favorite Museum Mile (Damian Lane) placed fifth and sixth, respectively. The 75th Yasuda Kinen is the JRA's next G1 race on Sunday, June 8 at Tokyo Racecourse. Read the full report , including details on each of the Tokyo Yushun entrants, on JRA News. Author: JRA News
Irish Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Audition by Katie Kitamura: This hotly anticipated novel is psychologically chilling
Audition Author : Katie Kitamura ISBN-13 : 978-1911717324 Publisher : Fern Press Guideline Price : £18.99 American author Katie Kitamura has acquired a reputation as something of a writer's writer – her work meditates on writing craft, interrogating the relationship between the ideas underpinning her work and the form of their delivery. Her previous novels have been well received; the most recent, Intimacies , was longlisted for the US National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and named by Barack Obama as one of his favourite books of 2021. As such, Audition , her fifth publication, has been hotly anticipated. This is Kitamura's third novel with an unreliable, unnamed first-person narrator – a point of view that allows the author to activate her great strength as a puppet-master of perspective and interpretation. The short novel is constructed in two parts; both are narrated by the same accomplished actor who is contemplating the roles she must play both on stage and off. In her current production she is challenged by a scene where the character undergoes a subtle transformation with little direction: 'the movement from the woman in grief to the woman of action'. This is echoed in the structure of the novel where between parts one and two the reader is thrust into a different dimension with no explanation. At the beginning of the novel, the actor is meeting an attractive young man, Xavier, for lunch when her husband happens upon them. The nature of their relationship, and the tense, unstable, dynamic between them, is psychologically riveting and propels the narrative forward. READ MORE In part two, Xavier has situated himself in an entirely different position in her life. The connective tissue between the two set pieces is the narrator's hypnotic unspooling of the narrative, but the world in which this novel is set is an abstract one, with little concrete detail to ground the reader. The degree to which that alienates or tantalises is a matter of taste. [ The 'other Americans': 20 books that celebrate US literature's rich diversity Opens in new window ] This is the third of Kitamura's novels where the theme of interpretation has been central to the narrative. Not least of all is the question of how people, and therefore her characters, interpret their own agency or lack thereof in their lives. It is interesting that both parts of this novel could be read in either order and provoke similar questions of interpretation and understanding. It would be miscategorising to position this novel as a psychological thriller, but it is nonetheless psychologically chilling. If you are drawn to novels that raise more questions than answers, this one is for you.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
San Jose artist uses tattoos to celebrate his Japanese culture
A photo exhibit featuring traditional Japanese tattoo art, called "American Irezumi" is coming to San Francisco's Main Library in October, featuring the work of San Jose tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura. Last December, dozens of his clients who have served as his canvas for the past 27-years, came together for the photo shoot in the South Bay. "There's a lot of emotions here," said Kitamura who is known as Taki. "All I feel is like so much gratitude and respect for like the trust they have given me." The trust begins inside his tattoo studio, State of Grace Tattoo, in San Jose's Japantown where his clients travel as far away as Sacramento every month to get work done on their tattoo body suits. Sal Reynaga's tattoo journey with Taki began in 2012, as part of a healing process from his past. "I served from 2000 and 2004 in the US Marine Corps, and I did most of my time in Iraq," said Reynaga. "Times were tough when getting back. It was hard to adjust to civilian life, and it was real tough getting back to normal." Today, he describes his tattoos as his suit of armor protecting him from the realities of the world. "It's my form of wearing my uniform, my suit, my armor suit," said Reynaga. "It represents perseverance, strength, and honor. I wear it for the all the people I served with." It is responsibility Kitamura takes to heart, when helping his clients tell their stories. "Sal for example you know has done military service, so the idea of the samurai was very important to him," said Kitamura. "I try to take into account their wishes… and what they are trying to convey and then mix in things, that I've learned from my culture." Part of that culture stretches back more than 200-years. The original Japanese woodblock prints, that Kitamura uses for many of his tattoos, created by one of Japan's master artists, Utagawa Kuniyoshi. "He was really known for warrior prints, Suikoden warriors, he lived during the Edo Period," explained Kitamura, who is also wears a tattoo body suit. "I get a lot of joy tattooing Kuniyoshi prints on people. I think they are made to fit the body perfectly." For Kitamura, he hopes the photo exhibit will not only educate people on the history of Japanese culture, but also help erase some of the stigma of tattoos. He says, in Japan the tattoo is often associated with the Yakuza and organized crime. "I think it is getting better over time, but I think they have had a very troublesome history," said Kitamura. "Tattoos were used by the government to mark criminals, so right away there was a stigma." He believes, tattoos are more accepted here in America. "If you go through my clients, I have all kinds of people I tattoo a lot of law enforcement, US marshals TSA agents, working police officers, retired police officers, and then regular working people who are in business and finance," said Kitamura. The "American Irezumi" photo exhibit is to open at the San Francisco Main Library on October 2nd, and will be on display for six months. Allison Wyckoff, Director of Exhibitions describing the photo display: "American Irezumi is the name given to what tattoo artist and State of Grace owner Takahiro (Taki) Kitamura spent the better half of his life pursuing. In Japanese, irezumi means 'inserting ink' and is a common word for tattooing. The Japanese tattoo has been instrumental in Kitamura's journey toward understanding his hybrid identity, and he is not alone. Like the artists and sitters featured in the exhibition, Kitamura continues to learn lessons about culture, art, perseverance, humanity and life through tattooing. This journey is taken together with his clients, many of whom are on a similar path of understanding and growth. In his quest to become a traditional Japanese tattooer, Kitamura understands his identity as a Japanese American tattooer, bringing his hybrid identity and experience to his practice through American Irezumi—being comfortable in your skin: your tattooed skin. The exhibition exemplifies the concept of American Irezumi, capturing hundreds of hours of commitment over a twenty-five-year span, and the community built over that time. Through photographs and interviews with over twenty-four artists in the Bay Area and beyond, hand-carved masks, sculptures, tattoo tools and a hand-painted mural, American Irezumi explores the rich stories of identity, place and cross-cultural embodiment and experience."
Japan Forward
02-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Forward
Kuretake: The Calligraphy Giant Expanding into Cosmetics and Art Supplies
Kuretake is a long-established company based in Nara City, renowned for its high-quality calligraphy supplies. Today, it is making waves by applying its time-honored techniques to new frontiers in cosmetics and art. Drawing on decades of experience with bottled ink ( bokuju ) and brush pens, the company has launched a range of innovative products. They include eyeliner brush pens, solid watercolors ( gansai ), and art markers that have earned acclaim both in Japan and abroad. Kuretake's foray into cosmetics is led by one of its flagship products: eyeliner brush pens. These eyeliners help define the eyes with fine, precise lines, reflecting the company's mastery of brush pen craftsmanship. The "Okesho Fudepen – For Eyes" line, launched in 2022, showcases Kuretake's proprietary technology in both brush tips and ink formulation. Since eyeliners are applied to the sensitive eye area, the softness of the brush tip is crucial. As Makiko Kitamura, Deputy Manager of the Technology Development Department, explains: "Because it's used on skin — not paper — the tip needed to be soft, but not too soft." To strike this delicate balance, Kuretake adapted the design of its original 1973 brush pen, resulting in a tip that is both gentle and precise. Kuretake's eyeliner product. (Courtesy of Kuretake) The eyeliner series offers four variations, including a flat brush that allows users to control line thickness with ease. The ink, a pigment-based formula, is water-resistant yet easily removed with makeup remover. To minimize skin irritation, the ink is free of metals and includes a moisturizing agent. "We built this using the same dye technology behind our 180-color pen lineup," Kitamura notes. Founded in 1902, Kuretake first made its mark with calligraphy ink. In 1958, it became a pioneer in the industry by selling bottled ink for brush writing. The launch of its brush pens in 1973 brought national recognition. However, with the rise of digital tools, handwriting — and by extension, calligraphy — has declined. Japan's decreasing births have posed further challenges for traditional industries. A 2020 survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs revealed that while 85.2% of people had studied calligraphy in school, nearly 89% no longer practiced it afterward. "There's no denying calligraphy is in decline," says Eriko Sato, Manager of Overseas Sales. "But Kuretake has always evolved — starting with ink, then brush pens, and now expanding into cosmetics and art." Kuretake began its overseas expansion in 1964, introducing products such as solid watercolors and markers. In Western countries, where scrapbooking and hand lettering are popular, the company's color pens under its ZIG brand has gained traction in over 80 countries, including across Europe. Kuretake's solid watercolor paint "Gansai Tambi," popular among illustrators, and the cosmetic product "Okesho Fude Pen" The company officially entered the cosmetics market in 2009, initially through OEM (original equipment manufacturing) for other brands. After the success of its eyeliner products, it launched the "Okesho Fudepen – For Eyebrows" in early 2024. This pen features an ultra-fine 0.01 mm brush tip that allows users to draw realistic eyebrow hairs with precision. Customer feedback has been enthusiastic: "The brush is so fine — it's perfect!" "It's easy to draw with because the brush is so thin." Although cosmetics have yet to match the profitability of Kuretake's brush pens, Sato sees enormous potential in the category. Kuretake is also exploring innovations outside the realms of art and cosmetics. One such product is a liquid de-icing agent made primarily from soot. Its black color absorbs light and generates heat, making it highly effective for melting snow. Unlike powder-based alternatives, this liquid spreads evenly and can even be applied using drones. With a logo that bears the slogan "Art & Craft Company," Kuretake continues to evolve from its roots in traditional Japanese calligraphy. By harnessing its heritage in ink and brush craftsmanship, the company is forging new paths in the global arenas of art, beauty, and beyond. ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: Yasuhiko Hiraoka, The Sankei Shimbun
