The Japanese heritage
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In the late summer of 1888, a boy named Tokuzo Akiyama was born in the Japanese town of Sabae. At the age of 16, after a sheltered childhood, he went to the nearby mountains of the province of Echizen, with the ambitious aim of becoming the highest monk in the monastery. Before he had already tried training as a Kendo teacher and for a short time as a soldier, but soon he became bored and wasted no time in giving up. He was even excommunicated from the monastery after only three months because of various disciplinary infringements.
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One day – following a key culinary experience – Tokuzo discovered his love for cooking. From then on, he was only ever inspired by one, single thought: he wanted to become the best chef in the whole Japanese Empire. The idea took him first to the capital, Tokyo, which, even then, had a population of over two million. With his obstinate and self-willed character, as well as his unbridled impatience, Akiyama constantly came up against problems during his training, because he felt very restricted by the rigid Japanese learning process. He then made a decision that was to change his life completely: He wanted to learn the art of Western cuisine straightaway, and set his sights on the Mecca of culinary: Paris!
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In 1908, he first stopped off at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin, where he immediately got employed as a chef. He finally made it to the French capital just a year later. People there quickly recognised his technical skill and passion for work and, he got a job at the Hotel Ritz Carlton. Akiyama worked there under the watchful eye of the legendary Auguste Escoffier, who is considered to be the father of Haute Cuisine. His work, Guide Culinaire, is still thought of as the formal basis for cooking in the 20th century. Under Monsieur Escoffier’s guidance, Tokuzo Akiyama became an outstanding, world-class chef.
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In 1915, at the age of 27 years, Tokuzo returned to Japan, where he was appointed the head chef of the Japanese emperor. After almost 60 years in the service of the imperial family, he finally, and with great humility, asked the emperor to be allowed to retire, since he now believed that, at 84 years of age, he could no longer fulfil the expectations especially placed upon him. In his time as a world-class chef Akiyama was able to enchant numerous heads of state, emperors and kings with his culinary skills. While at the imperial court, he experienced the massive Tokyo earthquake in 1923, two world wars and the American occupation, which were major challenges for Akiyama and provided enough material to make three films about his life.
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Since 1991 Thomas Akiyama – the grandson of the emperor’s cook – has worked in the spectacle framing industry in Germany. Although born in Hanover, he spent most of his childhood in Tokyo and returned to Germany when he was seven years old. Thomas only knew his grandfather, about whose significance he had very little awareness at this time, from a few visits to the imperial palace.
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In 2008, almost exactly 100 years since his grandfather travelled to Berlin, Thomas Akiyama signed a contract of employment with Aoyama Optical; a famous Japanese manufacturer for eyewear in Sabae, whose German branch he continues to manage. Even at that moment he did not know that he retuned to the hometown of his grandfather and to the roots of his family. Only two years later, at the Silmo in Paris, Thomas learnt from his Japanese colleagues that Tokuzo is probably Sabae’s most famous citizen. The circle was complete.
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In 2011, Thomas Akiyama came up with the idea of a stand-alone designer collection. It was to be authentic, that is reflecting his German-Japanese roots. “The idea of simplicity is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. It was obvious for me to create something minimalistic, something that expresses peace and harmony and represents the opposite of the crowded market, ” emphasises Akiyama, quoting Antoine de Saint Exupéry: “…perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
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When the word “makellos” (flawless) came up in a discussion group in July 2011, the name for the collection had been found. During the same meeting, Akiyama asked his agency to create an appropriate logo. It was supposed to be clean, pared down and feature lots of white. Of course, the red dot (Japanese Hinomaru, sun-disc) was essential. In line with Akiyama’s adopted place of residence, the logo was later extended to makellos. POTSDAM.
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Distribution is now done through Aoyama Optical Germany GmbH, whose shares Akiyama has since taken over. From then on, work concentrated on the collection, designers were involved and production sites checked. Most of the frames are now made in the nearby town of Rathenow, which, like Sabae, has a long tradition of ophthalmics. The first spectacle frames were then successfully delivered at the beginning of 2013.
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Has he inherited some of his grandfather’s talents? “If you mean the art of cooking, then unfortunately I did not. If I had, then I would probably have a restaurant selling makellos (flawless) dishes. The most valuable thing, however, that my grandfather passed onto me is the attitude of doing your work from the heart every single day,” says Akiyama, who finishes with a Japanese proverb: it is not important to be better than everyone else; the most important thing is to be better than you were yesterday.”
