“The Reason for Growth”
and “Our Goals
for the Future”

Unique sourcing capabilities:
a foundation stronger than
anyone else

When President Kozuma was a student
at Rikkyō University, he was a member of
the baseball club. He was a hitter who to
this day still holds the Tokyo Big6
Baseball League record of three home
runs in a single game. He continued his
protest efforts, lost out on his dream,
and gained experience in a variety of
jobs before finally arriving in the used
goods industry.

Before returning to his family-run
pawnshop in Miyazaki, he joined another
company intending to build on his
training. While there he distinguished
himself and, with a focus on B2B, went
on to form Ippū Kishi, his first startup
venture. The business began in sourcing
by jumping right into sales to overseas
stores, building up skills in markets,
aesthetic appeal, appraisal, interpersonal
relationships, and more while expanding
in Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, and the
United States. By iterating through the
cycle of selling goods sourced overseas
at auction, the company built reliable
routes and reputation both in Japan and
in other countries, leading to its growth.

This unique sourcing capability of
President Kozuma is the reason why the
company has achieved an abundant level
of inventory that is now one of the best
in the world. As President Kozuma steps
into the batter’s box once again, he has
his sights set on the development of a
globally standard marketplace to be
achieved through digital transformation.
He aims to hit yet another home run in
business by achieving his dream in the
global wristwatch market.

Gathering wristwatches from
around the world to WATCHNIAN

The essence of digital transformation is
changing “tacit knowledge” into
“explicit knowledge”, ensuring that
such knowledge can be shared among
any number of people. One example of
this is taking the treasured, hidden
skills of artisans and converting them
into tools that anyone can use.

Previously, as Ippū Kishi, we focused
on developing an exceptional sourcing
capability and having one of the
strongest levels of inventory. What,
then, is the next step for WATCHNIAN?
The key is the true essence of digital
transformation. By pursuing and
leveraging the capabilities of digital
technology, we are aiming to build a
global platform that any employee that
has the WATCHNIAN spirit can use.
This platform will allow the application
of the artisanal skills that have been
used to expand our business based on
our unique experiences, beginning with
those of our founder, Hiroki Kozuma.

By using our intuition and experiences
to train AI, we can achieve a rapid
implementation of fair pricing at a
global standard, as well as more
accurate market predictions. As a
result, we can contribute to the
creation of a sustainability society, one
where a cycle of used wristwatches
develops from the ability of people
around the world to buy and sell
wristwatches with peace of mind.