Our Philosophy

“Lifestyle With Roots”

Gungendo is located in Omori-cho, a historic town nestled in the hills of Iwami Ginzan in Oda City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Now a World Heritage site, Omori-cho prospered as a silver mining town from the 17th to the early 20th century.

With the decline of the silver mine, the townsfolk left to seek work elsewhere and the population began to fall. The current population of Omori-cho stands at just 400. It is in this small town that we continue to live and grow, guided by our philosophy of “lifestyle with roots”.

Our ideal lifestyle is like that of a tree - putting down roots that spread throughout the land, standing firmly and growing slowly. Enjoying our daily lives as we root ourselves in the land, pursuing long term goals and having a positive influence on those around us. This is our philosophy.

Our mission is to create a way of life which incorporates food, clothing and tradition that can be passed down to future generations. Through our work, we strive to preserve locality, inspire ourselves and to bring joy to our customers.

We hope that everyone involved with us will have pride in their hometown, and live a life that values its past traditions, but is also filled with joy for the present while looking towards the future.

The traditional skills of craftsmen which flourished throughout Japanese history are slowly disappearing as the demand for efficiency fuels industrialization. Compared to modern methods, the traditional techniques appear to lack efficiency. However, it is in these traditional skills and techniques that we find true value. We aim to create clothing with materials created by such craftsmen, which complement a lifestyle we want to lead.

A taste of home

We may not have Michelin star chefs at our establishments, but we spare no effort when it comes to creating delicious food. Sitting around a dinner table filled with warm conversations and laughter is the perfect way to enjoy a meal. We aim to bring what used to be commonplace in the home back into our daily lives.

We have restored many old houses in the town of Omori. In our restoration projects, we feel that we have somehow been guided by the houses themselves. By creating these social spaces and thinking carefully about meaningful lifestyles, we aim to show the value in inheriting history created by our ancestors.