CHOYA SHIRT HISTORY : Dress Shirt Maker Yamaki Co.,Ltd.

CHOYA's history

1887	Began sales of the shirt for formal dress and social occasion.
1890	Began in-house production of breastplates, collars and cuffs for shirt.
1891	Started production of front-opening shirt.
1894	Began production of military shirt with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.
1896	Added the name “Choya” to the company name “Asano Shouten”. In 1896, the founder of Asano Shouten, Hyakuzo Asano, added “Choya” to the company name changing it to Choya-go Asano Shouten. Changed the name to Choya Shouten 2years later in 1898.
1906	Imported the first button hole sewing machine to Japan The picture shows the woven label used for Shirt at that time. Began sale of tennis shirt.
1909	Opened the Osaka branch at Kitakyutaro-machi
1912	Opened the modern shirt factory at Mukojima
1914	Due to the outbreak of the WWI, began using yarn count of 40 single thread domestic cotton cloth for Shirt
1916	Received orders for Shirt for the British in Singapore
1920	Opened the Hirakata Factory in Osaka Began newspaper advertising
1921	Construction of the Nishiarai Factory Built up the production engineering staff at the Hirakata Factory Changed the name to CHOYA Shirt Factory
1925	Continued newspaper advertising
1928	Began sales of semi-soft collars
1930	Began direct sales operations due to the great depression
1931	Began sales of open-collar Shirt
1936	Began sale of Shirt with adhesive interlining to reduce collar wrinkles
1941	Sold Kokumin-fuku (national uniform) such as mandated for Japanese males in 1940.
1945	The Tokyo shop was destroyed during the Tokyo air raid
1946	Designated as a Yugen Kaisha (limited company) following dissolution of the zaibatsu by the command of GHQ.
1947	Produced Shirt to sell on the black market Established Shinshu Shirt Factory
1948	Rebuilt the company building on the site of the burnt shop.
1951	Held first company exhibition after the war.
1953	In 1953, began sale of the shirts made from a shrink-resistant cotton fabric created using patented American technology and sold from previous year. 750 yen for a shirt using yarn count of 50 single thread.
1960	Developed a lineup of sport shirt in 24 colors.
1962	Supported the Tokyo Olympic Fair
1964	Awarded the Osaka Ministry of International Trade and Industry Prize at the First Sewing Skills Tournament.
1968	Launched Knitted shirt campaign. Developed a multi-color lineup of knitted shirts following the sport fad in 1968.
1969	Expanded sizes for fitted Shirt (100 different size of variation)
1974	Was part of a tie-up with the film “Papillon”.
1975	Began sales of summer dress shirt using hard-twisted yarn.
1980	Began sales of soft shirt ahead of the designer‐character brand fad.
1993	Began sales of 100% cotton-made form-stable processing shirt.
2004	Increased new shares through an allocation to third-parties underwritten by Nishinbo Industries Inc. (currently Nishinbo Holdings) and became a subsidiary of above company.
2008	Through an exchange of shares became the complete subsidiary of Nishinbo Industries Inc. (currently Nishinbo Holdings)
2009	Began preparation for opening the CHOYA SHIRT shop. Visited Hamamatsu – a cotton cloth production area – to collect data for reproduced materials.
2010	Opened CHOYA SHIRT shop.
2013	Opened the first shop in Kansai at Grand Front Osaka.
2015	Part of CHOYA Corp. operations including department store wholesale business acquired by Yamaki Co., Ltd.
	【CHOYA 1886】was certified for the first time as J∞QUALITY for its shirt.
2017	Exhibited CHOYA shirt at the Pitti Immagine Uomo for the first time.