The analogue romance

Goro Takahashi, or perhaps Goro’s. Does the name ring a bell? Probably not, probably not on a photography focused blog as this. Yet perhaps, I am taking this readership’s interests for granted. This is afterall a blog celebrating all things analogue, not just photography. In fact, my intention in starting this blog was one where I could share my love for all things analogue and/or filled with a sense of history, from my passion in collecting vinyls, to cameras to hifi. There is however, one passion that I have yet to indulge myself in, until today. Jewellery, not specifically high-end stuff but jewellery that carries with it a rich history and preferably not easily recognisable to the general eye. Enter Goro’s.

Google Goro’s or Goro Takahashi, the founder of the brand who unfortunately has passed on in 2013, leaving the legacy of his artisanal craft of leatherwear and silverware to his family and apprentices, and you will find photographs after photographs of Native American/indian inspired silverware. The brand is so elusive and counter-intuitive to the world of throw-away commerce that after almost 50 years since the brand kick-started its shop in Harajuku, Japan, it still remains the one and only shop in the world. Googling the brand also brings up a whole host of imitation ware and fakes that are bound to pop-up on our cookies-infested browser. I guess imitation is the best flattery in this case. That said, I have always admired first-hand the rich spiritual history of Goro, the founder. I do not intend to beguile you, the reader of the level of exclusivity of how to purchase these Goro’s jewellery but suffice to say, it is nigh-on impossible for foreigners not native to Japan to queue and purchase them at the shop as their raffle system has been closed to foreigners since Japan opened since Covid.

Nevertheless, my fascination stems from the artisanal nature of hand-crafted dedication to each hand-made individual piece. Not forgetting, the founder, Goro Takahashi’s own journey into discovering his deepest calling in life, veering away from the traditional Japanese expectations of a successful working-class man. The 2 most iconic emblems you will see adorn most celebrities out there in the western world from Eric Clapton who is a personal friend of the late Goro to Ed Sheeran are the eagle and feather designs. My personal interest sits squarely in the feathered silverware not least the attention to detail of the craftsmanship which the founder has etched the significance of these eagle’s feathers into the creation of each item. In Native American culture, an individual is accorded an eagle’s feather upon a successful sojourn back from an especially trying battle or war. The collection of feathers on the crown of any native American signifies the level of dedication and achievement of the individual.

In 2022, I left the lucrative corporate world of finance to seek out my passion in life and dedicate more time to honing my own craft, perhaps resonating with Goro’s own persistence in perfecting his craft. Alas, no, this blog is not it, or perhaps one day it may? For the moment at least, this blog is purely a creative and whimsical outlet for me to disconnect from my daily routines and gather my thoughts in this material world we live in. It was exactly this month, July 2023 that I commemorated one full year of living my life for my passion, and having it feed not just me but my family. I felt no better way to remember this achievement than to reward myself with an exquisite item of remembrance that could stand the test of time. So gadgets and most cameras were out of the picture. Well, there is the Leica M11 but that is a discussion for another day. In this space time of this article, it was serendipity that the world’s foremost Goro’s reseller dealer, DeltaOne found its first flagship store in Singapore just 2 months ago in May 2023. I paid a tentative and curious visit to the dealership housed in the upmarket Mandarin Gallery and regaled myself with the knowledgeable staff on hand on the various pieces that foreigners could only get access to. The brand’s items at this moment in time, through resellers , frankly in my view, herald exorbitant markups compared to getting them at Goro’s in-store at Harajuku. The only challenge is, we foreigners have zero chances of setting foot in Goro’s shop and as we wait patiently, the prices only ever go up and never down, especially at the height of Covid as the brand shop was closed for business for close to 9 months.

Great crew at DeltaOne Singapore. I walked out with a silver feather sized in their fabled XL size hanging on a deer-skinned leather necklace, minimal but intentional in its presence and gravitas when worn. I chose this feather as it represents for me the year’s struggle past, symbolising the strength, endurance, freedom, hope and love that pretty much sums up my “year-in-review”. As I was thinking of regaling my experience with my first ever Goro’s, I suddenly felt no better way to shoot it then with my M monochrom. I do intend to write a blogpost on how I came into owning the Typ246. Back to this blog, the anti-thesis of both the hand-made Goro’s and Leica M Monochrom existing in today’s world of technology and AI advancement was for me, a perfect match in heaven, albeit a rebellious one at that.

The Goro’s feather piece, handmade craft going against a world of mass-manufacture, the Leica M monochrom, a purely black and white camera in the world of ever evolving megapixels race of colour sensors, both items literally felt they existed only in a world that transcends our current material reality. In another possible branch of reality, we will see a world that technology does not replace itself with the next better thing yearly but a sense of treasuring the longevity and experience of each purchase, savouring it almost till the day we part with it. It is only with this level of longevity that we can build true history and connections with the world around us. These days, we are expected to purchase items for its readiness and ease of use to simplify our lives but never to “make meaning” in our lives.

Nevermind the world and the progress it seeks, we, for sure enjoy and maybe even need some of these technological advances to “live life”, yet a few of us will break against the flow of rapid progress to take time to bathe in the moment of all that is analogue and embued with a rich sense of meaning and in its wake , a possible rich history. I hope that the renditions out of my M monochrom translates well the depth of the Goro’s purchase I made, that this was not something I needed but it represents a rite of passage into an ever-evolving journey collection that I do hope, will one day be passed to my next generation, together with my Leicas. Yet progress and exponential advances waits for no man. However, if we live life being generously conscious of the generous present moment(TGPM ;)), we may perhaps find ourselves a glimpse of the magnificence that can and does exist in this short life that we have been blessed with. Carpe Diem.