niime 百科

Encyclopedia of niime

tamaki niime is a company that is unlike any other “company” in the general public, as its attitude towards creation is unbound by one specific concept. After Tamaki’s “awakening” the company entered a new cycle, and now the human resources department is looking for job candidates different from before. Now the “encyclopedia of niime” will deliver an “honest” career discussion with Tamaki & Sakai and staff Ryuta Fujimoto.

Tamaki

When recruiting on a recruitment site, the format is fixed, and you have to try and pinpoint what kind of people you want to interview. That’s good for us, but it’s not always the case. That’s grateful for us, but sometimes not so much.

—— Is there a category?

Tamaki

When it comes to recruiting sales staff, people with experience in sales will come, but it’s difficult to ask people of all genres to come and who are likely to suit us, regardless if they have a background in sales or not.

—— It is necessary to narrow down the types of jobs.

Tamaki

I understand that it would be challenging to apply otherwise, but I would like people to come not only for sales but also for agriculture, and preferably for people who want to work in unknown fields from now on. I’m happy if we could do that. I wish there were people who would like to work with us where we were thinking of doing this. I would like you to come to us not only for recruiting employees but also for business and company-to-company relationships. Ah, it seems that you can raise your hand that you can do that. Is it called “recruitment” or a “matching site”?

—— Is it not just for individuals?

Tamaki

If the vectors are the same, whether it’s an individual or a company.

—— Like a partner company?

Tamaki

If there is such a place. This time I awoke and shed my skin, so to speak, and felt as we started reorganization. I really want to make a lot of changes, so we need a different type of people with us. If we recruit at the encyclopedia of niime, people can see it for a long time because there is no time limit. We hope they read and respond to the ad.

—— Please tell us what has changed significantly as a result of this moulting.

Tamaki

The big difference is that I used to hope men and women of all ages would be accepted and wanted to accept. However, I realized that not everyone is OK. What can we do to help the environment, the earth? Or, try to think of a solution yourself with a firm awareness of the problem. If people with that kind of consciousness get together, they will do what they like to do, right?

—— Because the awareness of the issue is clear.

Tamaki

Basically, if you can judge whether it’s good for the earth or not, even if I don’t steer them in what to do, they’ll do it, no matter what the field, I think it will be definitely better.

—— The vector you are aiming for naturally converges there.

Tamaki

Yes. I want that kind of job offer!

Sakai

We want someone who lives in the present with a really admirable ambition, not just vagueness.

—— I see.

Sakai

A person who is not stiff and has flexibility.

Tamaki

Suppose some types cannot do things on their own unless ordered. Others that think and act without being requested, and if they are suppressed, they don’t like it. Even with the first, there are no issues if they are willing to become more active. But we don’t need people who cannot move unless we kick their behinds with the problem or the solution. In this day and age, there aren’t many workers thinking about extra things, mostly salaried workers. What president or boss says is absolute, so for the time being, just finish the quota properly! I think there are a lot of people who are addicted to fitting the mould.

—— It’s not creative any more. I’m overwhelmed by the work I’ve been given…

Tamaki

Then, the power of creation is reduced. I think that many people dislike this and because of that they are self-employed, and many people go on their own as designers, but companies cannot develop such workers. I think that the absolute number of useful human resources will be insufficient. Because more people work for companies like that. Somehow, whether they are salaried workers or self-employed, people can work vigorously. I want to make it a system of the world.

—— Isn’t the organization called tamaki niime “amorphous” as Mr Sakai said earlier? It has a solid core, but it doesn’t have a fixed shape, or it’s flexible.

Sakai

Yes, we are. Hey, let’s ask what type of person you want to meet “Fuji-Ryu”. He is Ryuta Fujimoto; we call him “Fuji-Ryu”. Fuji-Ryu, come over!

Fuji-Ryu

Yes.

Sakai

For the next niime encyclopedia, we are talking about the job offer. Be honest about who you want to work with if you ended up working together.

〈 Fuji-Ryu joins the talk 〉

Fuji-Ryu

I think…isn’t there someone who denies what he or she has done before? Someone who has lots of excuses for running away from something because of what happened. I don’t like that because it’s tiring. Someone confident with their experiences and choses us as the next step or strongly attracted to something in my company because of it. I think it’s important because there is something that I can respect in that person. And someone interested in it if something other than his or her genre happened in this company. Someone who can study and learn. I don’t think people who give up if they don’t understand are suitable for this company. I think people who are interested in various things probably would enjoy it more.

—— Like curiosity?

Fuji-Ryu

That’s right. After that, I think it’s best to have a relationship where you respect each other, so I think it’s crucial for a person to talk face-to-face. That’s it.

Sakai

I don’t need a person who talks behind and pulls the legs of the staff who are working hard.

Fuji-Ryu

That’s important wherever you work.

Tamaki

Isn’t it different to give you advice because you want things to get better and not just complaining? Contrary opinions are also essential and you’ll move forward because of them.

Sakai

Insulting doesn’t help, but “enlightenment” will improve things.

Tamaki

I prefer a discussion. I’d like to improve because we’re not satisfied with the current situation. We’re always thinking about how to improve. It doesn’t mean we are complaining to the world. If you don’t listen, you can’t change.

—— Sincerity is essential.

Sakai

It’s better to have a person who isn’t right but can get things done, than who is good but can’t do it at all.

Tamaki

…There aren’t many people like that. You have an unusual idea. (laugh)

Sakai

So I don’t have the aesthetics or virtues of working 8 hours or working overtime?

Tamaki

Not at all.

Sakai

I think it’s okay if someone can produce tremendous results in 4 hours. And if you work hard for 8 hours and can’t get any results, that’s a waste of time. That’s the way we should work in the future to produce great results. Then, the load on the earth will naturally decrease.

—— … Well, it’s about time to conclude. What kind of staff are you looking for?

Sakai

We want people who have speed, accuracy, and ability to execute. We don’t need people who only speak. That’s it.

Tamaki

My ideal is someone who is ‘unique.’ We don’t need anyone like someone else. Like a new colour who is positive! And can think for his or herself.

Sakai

Just thinking is…

Tamaki

And act!

Sakai

It’s essential to think and act.

Tamaki

Even if they speak only once a year, it’s good to have someone who comes just to report that you’ve thought about something, made a plan, and got the results!

—— Yup.

Tamaki

I don’t like to be asked individually. I’d rather say,’ oh, it looks nice. Just do it.’

Sakai

He (pointing to Fuji-Ryu) …the Okayama craft fair, you know?

Fuji-Ryu

That’s right.

Sakai

I didn’t have to tell him to go. He decided on his own.

Tamaki

No. He searched for an event himself and went by himself.

Sakai

I enjoy watching him because he does things his way. Tamaki went along with him when he was introduced to the organizer there, and they talked.

Tamaki

He introduced me to a good person. A dyer who dyes plants in Katsuyama, Okayama. She leads the city with education through manufacturing and hands-on events. I couldn’t sleep again because of “awareness”…am I on the right track?

Sakai

In that sense, he is a person who actively does these things.

Tamaki

Also, I want to do spinning. I want to use cotton and dye it with vegetable dyes. Of course, I want to hire a dyer, but to dye it with cotton and make various threads, I have to make threads with our own, because there are few lots. I don’t think I can ask outside, so I want to build a spinning system on our own.

—— You are looking for human resources for spinning.

Tamaki

But if there is a small spinning mill, I think it’s okay to start from there. In partnership with that, first, ask them to teach us. If that person is old, we will include technology when it stops. We’ll take over everything. I think there is such a path. At this time, we may not be able to have a small spinning factory that retains the old-fashioned texture, so it may have been eliminated, but if it remains like it is, we would like to work with it. I think that we can learn the technology and let our staff proceed. It is not mass production, but a new thread suitable for the present age that adequately considered efficiency if people can do it together. I want to make soft threads with them.

Sakai

That’s the new possibility of spinning, teaming up with them.

Tamaki

Yes, I want to assemble.

Sakai

I think it’s something you want to create.

Tamaki

By expanding the possibilities in that area, we can further deepen a series of distinct creations as tamaki niime.

—— I see. It certainly connects.

Tamaki

I think I could cover everything besides spinning…oh, and in the field of agriculture, we’re looking for an “agricultural revolutionary” who makes cotton and vegetables organically without pesticides. Also, a “food revolutionary” who can make food and dishes centred on vegetables without additives.

—— Well, I wonder how to summarize this time…

Sakai

Even if the contents are confusing.

—— Would you like to have someone who can draw something from confusion?

Sakai

Yes, that’s right.

Tamaki

It is not necessary to easily understand. What we’ve said so far is an analogy, and anything is fine. For example, ‘I’m an unreasonable sales professional, so I want to travel around the world and tell people about tamaki niime!’ Something like that.

Sakai

Instead, at the very least, they must be able to compare the so-called fashion industry with ours.

Tamaki

I’m telling you whether you can do that or not if you have objective eyes.

—— In a sense, it may be better for people who surpass or surpass employment information.

Tamaki

That’s right! I want interesting people to come!

—— …In other words, “strange” people.

Tamaki

Yeah.

—— I understood.

Tamaki

That’s it.

Sakai

“Strange” but someone who has an outstanding ability to execute. Fuji-Ryu said the decent things.

Tamaki

That’s right. It’s okay.

—— …I agree.

Sakai

We need staff who can catch this type of conversation. If they don’t, it doesn’t work.

Tamaki

Indeed. When this is written, it’s not understandable.

—— If you don’t enjoy it. (laugh)

Tamaki

Yes. (laugh) What the heck do these people want to say!? Like that?

Sakai

Oh, yeah yeah.

tamaki niime realized the new possibilities of Banshu-ori by developing a shawl full of originality without being bound by established methodologies and theories. That attitude also permeated the management of the company, and while asking and verifying each one’s uniqueness, it makes us feel the novelty of building a new organization. The same is valid for recruiting human resources, and I think people who feel the excitement of being able to do what they want with a free-thinking, fun attitude are suitable here.


Entering an era in which artificial intelligence replaces human labour, the meaning of “work” is being questioned again. If you just do what you are instructed to do, a robot may take your job. As Tamaki and Sakai have practised in creation so far, it seems that tamaki niime is the first in the world to seek human resources who can sublimate “play” into work with an unconventional approach.


They are looking forward to meeting a “revolutionary” who is not content with the current system of the world and has a big desire to change it.

Original Japanese text by Seiji Koshikawa.
English translation by Adam & Michiko Whipple.