- Upper: Porosus Crocodile Nubuck
- Insole: Charles F. Stead Deerskin
- McKay construction
- Vintage Steel
- Made in Japan
"Guji" is a mule-style shoe inspired by the footwear worn by Shinto priests.
In appearance, it can be said to head in a completely opposite direction from so-called artisan-style shoes (for example, Guidi Rosellini, which we also carry in our shop).
I have worn artisan-style shoes for a long time, and I will surely continue to cherish them in the future.
At the same time, though, I was convinced that Guji is a piece that, by adding a new move entirely different from the image our shoes have had until now, can expand one's style in one stroke.
Guji is a long-standing staple model from Tachino Chie, and this version uses Porosus (small crocodile) nubuck for the upper.
Porosus is generally regarded as having the finest grain among crocodiles, and the arrangement of its small, square scales is considered especially beautiful.
In addition, Porosus accounts for only about 10% or less of all crocodile leather in circulation worldwide, so in addition to its beauty, it is characterized by great rarity.
The Porosus used for this Guji in particular is leather that the designer, who is always searching the world for the highest-quality leather, has personally endorsed as the finest, saying that this tannery's Porosus is in a completely different class from others in both suppleness and beauty.
In the photo, the sumizome (ink-dyed) Porosus is on the left and the nubuck is on the right.
The grain side of the leather is buffed, leaving a napped surface with no gloss at all, for a matte finish.
As you wear them, creases will of course form, and compared with the ink-dyed version, the color change over time is easier to see. In fact, as the oils from your own hands and more are absorbed, the color gradually deepens into a richer, darker black.
Each Guji in Porosus is made using one whole crocodile per shoe, so two crocodiles for a pair.
As you can see in the photo, it is of course possible to make both shoes using the tail section and other parts of a single hide. The sample on the left in the photo below is one the designer previously made himself, producing both shoes from one crocodile. (The center is the ink-dyed version and the right is the nubuck.)
If you look closely, you will notice that on the left one, made from a single crocodile for both shoes, the scale sizes do not match between left and right.
This is because the scale size differs by part, such as around the back and around the tail of the crocodile. The perfectionist designer, however, pursued an even higher level of beauty.
As a result, the designer personally selects leather at the tannery with beautifully sized and arranged scales, and from among those, further matches the balance of the two crocodiles that form the left and right pair. Using leather chosen through such rigorous, repeated selection, this was made to a truly obsessive specification.
Accordingly, the price sits in a different place from Guji in other leathers and from other artisan-style shoes. However, considering the quality and processing of the leather itself, the luxurious specification of one crocodile per shoe, and the skill of the craftsman who lasts it beautifully into shape, I even think it will likely become difficult to continue at this price going forward.
Crocodile is said to be around ten times stronger than cowhide, and one of its features is that its surface is also very resistant to scratches.
Building on the updates repeated many times until now, and pursuing the beauty of its tension-filled form without compromise, we deliver it in the highest specification Tachino Chie has reached to date.
The new Guji, made with materials the designer selected personally, one piece at a time, and created in partnership with a new, trusted craftsman, shows the high degree of design refinement and craftsmanship everywhere you look: a minimal upper with a restrained welt, an almost too-beautiful fiddleback outsole whose shaped waist adds elegance, and even the brass nails set into the heel.
For this piece, vintage steel tips were fitted to the toe of the sole during production, so it will be delivered in the specification shown in the photos.
Compared with Guidi's horse leather and Charles F. Stead's suede, Porosus is a leather with little stretch.
Wearing them in just the right size lets you experience an enveloping fit, and they feel stable even when walking for long periods.
Given the timing of its release, Guji may be a piece strongly associated with summer, but it can be worn barefoot in summer and with socks in other seasons.
It should pair with a very wide range of bottoms, from shorts and wide pants to slim cropped pants and slacks with a single break.
Incidentally, when I spoke with the designer and with customers who already own Guji at events, I heard that they wear it with thick socks even in winter.
I have not yet experienced winter in Guji myself, but when you consider that people wear zori with tabi covers when wearing a kimono in winter, wearing Guji with socks in winter may indeed be perfectly realistic.
Thinking about it that way, it makes much more sense as a pair of shoes that moves beyond the role of a summer sandal and could become a new year-round staple for your feet.
Also, when it was decided that we would release this at our shop, we asked for the insole to be changed from the original beige vegetable-tanned leather to black.
This was partly a matter of visual preference, but the main reason was that black makes scratches and stains less noticeable over long-term use.
Because of the slip-on shape, the insole is easily seen when the shoes are taken off, so it was better to keep it in as clean a condition as possible.
Changing to a black insole raised concerns about color transfer to white socks or bare feet, so from several candidates we chose deerskin from Charles F. Stead, a long-established British tannery, and tested it for several months.
The chrome-tanned deerskin showed almost no color transfer and combined softness with durability, so the result is a finish that makes you feel this may well have been the best answer for an insole.
I don't want to use a phrase like "a lifetime piece" lightly, but with a form and material so beautiful they take your breath away, this is a piece that naturally makes you wonder whether anything could surpass it once you own it.
An aesthetic Guji, in a one-of-a-kind material.
If you have any questions or would like advice about sizing, please feel free to contact us by chat or email.
