Toyodo Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takeo Matsumori

2025.09.20

An aggressive approach paves the way for Japanese stamps to become a global culture

■ Profile
Hometown: Nagasaki City. Dropped out of Toyo University's School of Management. Hobbies: Traveling, fishing, reading.
Career: Joined Sanpo Co., Ltd. and Nittaku Kanko Co., Ltd., and became independent and self-employed at the age of 25. Founded Toyodo Co., Ltd. at the age of 30. Developed sales channels by working within the company and reaching out to large government agencies and corporations, recruited agents, and seized the opportunity to become a franchisee!
At the age of 48, he opened a store and started Hanko Hiroba, and at the age of 55, he achieved 100 franchise stores. His goal is to spread the culture of Hanko to the world and make it a global culture, and to make it the norm to prove yourself through both a signature and a stamp!!

■ Profile

Hometown: Nagasaki City. Dropped out of Toyo University's School of Management. Hobbies: Travel, fishing, reading. Career: Joined Sanpo Co., Ltd. and Nittaku Kanko Co., Ltd., and became independent and self-employed at age 25. Founded Toyodo Co., Ltd. at age 30. Developed sales channels by cultivating in-house sales with government agencies and large corporations, recruited agents, and seized the opportunity to franchise! At age 48, started a store and a stamp plaza, and by age 55, achieved 100 franchise stores. His goal is to spread stamp culture around the world and <make stamps a global culture>, and to make it commonplace to prove yourself through both signatures and stamps!!

Toyodo operates over 100 stores nationwide specializing in stamps, known as "Hanko Hiroba." The company has established a unique business model that not only sells stamps but also provides digital services and is a designated supplier for government agencies and large corporations. We spoke with founder Takeo Matsumori about his perspectives on business development and his approach to sales.

During my student days, I spent my time working part-time at a stamp shop. I moved to Tokyo to attend university, and I couldn't afford to live comfortably, so I felt I had to earn my own money. The reason I chose a stamp shop was because it had a high gross profit margin—70% of sales were profit—and because stamp shops had a strong image of being run by older people, I was simply interested in the idea that they might be more successful if run by a younger person. Even while working part-time, I focused on sales, and when Okinawa was returned to Japan, I realized that "signatures would be needed, not just stamps," so I distributed stamp flyers around Okinawa. I made about 100 million yen in a week, so my prediction was a great success. This experience made me realize the potential of the stamp business and the fun of making money.

■Establishing an aggressive sales style

I quit my part-time job and went independent when I was around 25 years old. I had made some money from Okinawa's return to Japan, but I quickly spent it all on partying, and I realized I couldn't continue like this. At first, I did cold calling to small and medium-sized businesses, but I gradually felt that this was too much. So I thought I'd try selling stamps in the cafeterias and convenience stores of large companies. First, I bought a book with company phone numbers and called each one. I explained the benefits, saying, "You can use 5% of our stamp sales for your company's employee benefits," and built relationships by negotiating with both the companies and the unions. Armed with courage, I negotiated aggressively and was able to secure contracts with most of the large companies at the time.

I also realized that owning a store would give me more credibility and give customers a sense of security than running the business on my own. So when I was around 46 years old, I opened a store and started expanding into franchising, which is rare for a stamp shop. Currently, we have over 100 stores, including directly managed stores and franchise stores, so I think we have expanded a lot since then.

■ Based on stamps, a business that goes beyond stamps

Toyodo's foundation is the stability of revenue from stamps. When we shop, we often make decisions based on likes and dislikes, but in Japan, stamps are always required when signing contracts or creating documents. Stamps are important to the Japanese as an absolute necessity, regardless of likes and dislikes.

Another feature of our business is that, keeping up with the changing times, we've embraced not only stamps but also digital and IT technologies. When we started our franchise, we aimed to become a "business convenience store" that offered everything a business needed, including business cards, printing, and keys. Applying this stamp-based approach, we now also take orders for creating corporate websites. When I started my business, I saw customers making company seals, and it occurred to me that there would also be a need for company websites and company signage. There are many things a company needs to run in the future, after all. Customers who come to us to make stamps are also potential customers. This realization led to new business opportunities and success. I believe that our ability to adapt to the changing times and offer both analog and digital services is the reason we've been able to survive as a stamp shop to this day.

■ I want to make stamps a global culture

My dream is to expand the future of stamps. With the advancement of digitalization, some may feel that stamps are no longer used. However, I aim to utilize electronic stamps in new fields and promote stamp culture globally. In fact, two years ago, I launched the "World Stamp Registration Center," a seal certification service that allows people overseas to register stamps. I was opposed by those around me, who said, "Stamps are Japanese culture, so don't go global," but we have now gained support, primarily from European artists, and are making a profit. This is because they are interested in the double trust created by stamping a painting or work of art with a signature. Also, Japanese kanji characters seem to be appealing, and many people have their names engraved using ateji characters. I even created a stamp with the name "Betsu Hana Yume" (meaning "Betu Hana Yume") for Real Madrid player David Beckham (laughs).

I would like to apply this trend to establish the "signature + seal" system in overseas contracts. For example, I would like to get friendly countries of Japan to adopt a seal registration system. Seal registration fees and certificate issuance fees are one of the major sources of revenue for the country, so I hope that by explaining the benefits, they will become interested in it as a source of revenue.

■ A crisis is the source of ideas. Take on challenges with ambition.

In running a company, I value independence. I've faced many challenges, including the need to make money during my student days and the time I nearly ran out of funds when I was starting out on my own. However, I didn't see it as a negative; I saw it as a call to come up with new ideas. Indeed, the ideas born out of these challenges have helped Toyodo to grow. Because of my own experience, I tell my employees, "Have an independent spirit. Otherwise, you won't come up with new ideas." While working diligently is certainly important, I think that simply treating your work as an "employee" can make it seem like a chore. Unlike government offices, private companies require constant challenges, so I want employees to have ambition and drive. Even if 9% of your efforts fail, it's okay as long as 1% of your efforts succeed. I want to work with people who have that kind of independent spirit.

■Message to university students

I hope you will live each day with independence and enthusiasm. Happiness makes you slack, but difficulties are opportunities to come up with ideas. I believe that if you have a positive attitude, you will surely grow at work, so I hope you will do your best.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on May 31, 2025 by Minami Yoshikawa, a fourth-year student at Sophia University

Yurie Watanabe, second-year student at Josai International University; Minami Yoshikawa, fourth-year student at Sophia University; and Mitomo Maruyama, third-year student at International Christian University.