About Tsujiya Honten

Established in 1912, a traditional Japanese footwear specialty store that has long been a favorite in Asakusa, Tokyo

Japanese footwear, like shoes, are not available in 5mm increments, but can be adjusted to fit any foot by installing the HANAO-straps into the stepsole(the part on which the foot rests), such as S, M, L, or LL.

To achieve this, it is most important that each pair is installed by hand by a craftsman, but the number of stores with professional craftsmen has dwindled, even in Asakusa, where footwear is a local industry.

Tsujiya Honten has been favored by kimono fans for its outstanding HANAO-straps installing techniques and chic lineup of Edo-style products, which have been favored by the Kabuki and Sumo circles, the classical performing arts, and teachers of the tea ceremony and flower arrangement. In recent years, we have also seen an increase in the number of foreign fans visiting Tsujiya Honten from abroad in search of authentic Japanese traditional footwear.

Founding history

Minokichi Tsuji, the founder, established a footwear shop in 1912 in Ishihara-cho 3-chome, Honjo (now Ishihara, Sumida-ku, Tokyo).

In 1923 (Taisho 12), the Tsujiya Honten was damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake and relocated to Asakusa. Tsujiya Honten thrived during Asakusa’s golden age of movies, Asakusa Opera, and vaudeville, but the subsequent air raid on Tokyo during World War II left Asakusa almost completely destroyed.

Later, in the ruins of the burnt ruins after the war, Tadashi Tsuji, the second generation, desperately rebuilt the Tsujiya Honten amidst the scarcity of goods. As Japan recovered, the business grew, and Tsujiya Honten became a store with many branches.

However, in the Heisei era, demand for kimono declined sharply. The third generation, Keiji Tsuji and Takemasa Tsuji, worked together as brothers to manage the company, but they were unable to resist the changing times and Tsujiya Hontenwas at one point on the verge of extinction.

New era

In 2011, Rie Tomita (maiden name: Tsuji), the eldest daughter of Takemasa, took over as the fourth president, and together with her younger sister Masae Tsuji, they steered the company into a new era of footwear stores, and its business performance has continued to grow. In December 2014, 102 years after its establishment, the store relocated to a new location on Denboin Street in the heart of Asakusa.

Due to reconstruction work from October 2024, we are operating a temporary store on the second floor of a building near the intersection of Umamichi-dori and Kototoi-dori.
The first floor is occupied by the popular Hakata Ramen restaurant “Urimbo,” so we named it “Tsujiya Honten Temporary Store Uri no Ue”(means above the Uri) to make it familiar and memorable.

Japanese footwear specialty store, Asakusa Tsujiya Honten

Tsujiya Honten Temporary store Uri-no-ue

2F Hanakawado Ishida Building, 2-21-7 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0033

• Approximately 8 minutes walk from Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line
• Approximately 6 minutes walk from North Exit of Asakusa Station on Tobu Line
• Approximately 9 minutes walk from Asakusa Station on the Toei Asakusa Line
• Approximately 9 minutes from Tsukuba Express Asakusa Station

Tel: 03-3844-1321

Business hours/10:00-18:00
Closed on Thursdays

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred shortly after I assumed the position of president in February 2011, and since then, more than 10 years have passed since then, overcoming various difficulties such as the relocation of stores and the Corona disaster.

During this period, the environment surrounding kimono in Japan has changed dramatically, while overseas fans of Japanese culture have become more widespread each year, both in terms of numbers and depth of interest.

Since most of our products are one-of-a-kind and are sold online in parallel with our store sales, the mail order on our official website is basically for the Japanese market, but we have opened this website to gradually bring Tsujiya Honten products to our overseas fans.

We hope you will take advantage of this service.

Rie Tomita｜Asakusa Tsujiya Honten, 4th generation