Kikuchi Nakagawa

Founded in 2018 by Yusuke Kikuchi and Tomonari Nakagawa. Kikuchi graduated in architecture from Tokyo University and worked as a software developer before becoming a watchmaker, having previously produced watches under his own name. Nakagawa trained as a traditional Japanese swordsmith before transitioning to watchmaking. The duo united over their shared vision of creating finely finished timepieces inspired by the golden age of wristwatch design from the 1930s-1950s. Their debut piece, the Murakumo, introduced their signature black polishing technique applied to entire watch cases-a method traditionally used only on small movement components. The brand has since expanded to include the Ichimonji and Genmon collections, establishing themselves as a leading force in Japanese independent watchmaking.