“Hōkā”-brand toiletries advertising postcard, 1917.

“Wrapped with deep affection, Hoka Sweet’s promise”, “Hōkā [Hawker]”-brand toiletries advertising postcard, 1917, posted to confirm an upcoming sales appointment. Entrepreneur Horikoshi Kataro manufactured and sold his “Hawker”-brand toiletries from a toiletries store in the Nihonbashi, Tokyo, business district. His products were so popular Horikoshi was often involved in legal disputes to protect his intellectual property of more than 300 registered trademarks and patents. A prominent competitor of his, Nagase Shokai, purveyor of now-ubiquitous Kao-brand toiletries, did business just down the street over on the next block.

“With the introduction of Western civilization in our country, foreign-made toilet articles rapidly superceded Japanese articles and, for a time, the people entirely depended upon foreign supplies for their daily toilet necessities.

“… The toilet goods turned out by Japanese manufacturers have gradually been improved in quality and, to-day, they can hold an honorable place by the side of the foreign goods, or even excel them in many respects, with the result that foreign goods are being driven out of the Japanese market and Japanese toilet articles now constitute the main items of shipments to China, South Sea Islands and other Asiatic countries.

“Among the most popular home-made toilet goods of the present day, the ‘Hoka’ toilet water enjoys an unsurpassed reputaton. That, in spite of its comparatively recent birth, it has gained such a wide-spread fame and favour, proves unmistakably its extraordinarily excellet qualities.

“Mr. Kataro Horikoshi, the proprietor of the Horikoshi Shokai, was born in Saitama prefecture, and, when young, came up to Tokyo. Later, he went to Yokohama and entered the service of an Italian firm, engaged in the sale of toilet goods, and next was employed by a Mr. Bunyan, an Englishman, and studied for ten years the secrets of toilet articles manufacture.

“In 1907, he again came to Tokyo and opened a toilet goods store of his own at Bakurocho, Nihombashi, where he made the ‘Hoka’ toilet water which is specially adapted to the complexion of the Japanese.

“By degrees, the true worth of his product has become known throughout the world and prize after prize has been awarded by different exhibitions and fairs for its uncommon merit.”

– Rising Japan: In Commemoration of the Coronation of H.I.M. the Emperor of Japan, Jidai Kenkyu Kai, 1918