This historic Japanese maker has handcrafted their vulcanized rubber and canvas shoes in Kurume City since the 1800s. Vulcanization is a process that involves rubber being moulded over a last and canvas upper before being fired in a kiln. While exposed to extreme heat, the sulfur inside the raw rubber chemically reacts and fuses together with the canvas upper in a more resilient and longer-lasting way than other, more contemporary adhesion techniques.