[Journal] A Beauty Brand Born from the Harmony of Japanese Tradition and Innovation — ametsuchi Creative Designer / Kazuya Matsumoto

Kazuya Matsumoto is a creative Designer with a Japanese background, who continues to take on the global stage. What was he thinking when he built the brand from scratch? What was he trying to express? Here, we explore the intentions behind ametsuchi.

Japanese Culture Built on Respect and Coexistence with Nature

Japanese culture, which has lived in harmony with nature, carries the wisdom of using natural materials. I launched ametsuchi with the hope that people’s lives would be enriched, as if illuminated by sunlight, through what we’ve learned from Japanese culture.

For centuries, Japanese culture has been shaped by respect for nature and coexistence with it. Mountains, rivers, oceans, trees, and stones—all natural objects are believed to possess life and should be respected. The values that have emerged from this close relationship with nature are still deeply rooted in Japanese life today.

Brand Identity Inspired by Uniquely Japanese Values

Japan was once called "Yamato", and the language spoken was known as "Yamato-kotoba" —a uniquely indigenous language. For instance, the word kari in Yamato-kotoba can mean at least four different things: [rent], [temporary], [mow], and [hunt]. After the introduction of Chinese characters, these meanings were distinguished using different kanji: [借り], [仮], [刈り], and [狩り]. But in the era of Yamato-kotoba, they were all expressed by a single word—kari. This one word encapsulated the holistic idea that to hunt animals or harvest plants is to “borrow life,” a transient state of being.

“Ametsuchi" is one of these Yamato-kotoba. In modern times, it is written as ‘天地’ or ‘天土’ in kanji, meaning ‘Heaven and Earth.’ ‘Heaven’ refers to the sky, and ‘Earth’ to the ground. “Ametsuchi" implies ‘all life on Earth.’ We named our new brand ametsuchi to reflect our pride in Japanese culture and our commitment to gentle, Japan-originated ingredients. To represent this concept, we stylized the kanji ‘天土’ into a logo.

Additionally, what shines between ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’ is ‘light,’ and without light, life cannot exist. Therefore, we based our brand colors and graphics on the three primary colors of light, using hues inspired by native Japanese plants: camellia, Asiatic dayflower, and Japanese parsley (mitsuba).

The Spirit of Hospitality in Every Detail

Our packaging uses traditional Japanese washi paper. Each sheet is handcrafted by artisans using plant-based fibers that are carefully extracted. The interwoven fibers make the paper strong and give it a natural texture and strong presence.

Launching ametsuchi in the U.S. is not about pushing Japanese culture. It’s about expressing the philosophy of ‘coexistence with nature,’ a concept deeply rooted in Japan, in the context of American society. While modern technology brings new capabilities, it also creates new challenges. Yumi, our founder, who was raised in Japan and now lives in the U.S., aims to address these challenges through the principle of harmony with nature.

ametsuchi is a beauty line that blends tradition and innovation—something only possible because we deeply understand Japanese culture while living in the U.S. Through our products, we hope people experience not only their efficacy and quality but also a sense of both history and modernity.