Hiroshi Tamura, Nagano, Japan.

Born in 1940 in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. From his junior high school days, he began helping his father Torajiro at the bakery he founded, French Bakery. After graduating from senior high school, he worked for a bakery in Kanagawa Prefecture, and then continued as an apprenticeship under his father. In 1963, he took over the bakery, joined Soka Gakkai in 1955 and is a leader in Soka Gakkai’s Nagano sub-prefectural organisation.

In December 1968, he had an opportunity to talk with SGI President Ikeda who visited Karuizawa. President Ikeda warmly encouraged him by saying, “If you ever have any problems, please let me be the first to know.” Mr Tamura was deeply moved by his warmth. He had in fact been losing customers and it was difficult to continue running the shop. Every day he felt as if he were running in complete darkness with no end in sight.

Greatly moved by his mentor’s encouragement, he immediately made up his mind, “I never want to have to say that I have a problem. Rather, I’ll make Mr Ikeda proud of my achievements by baking the best bread in Japan.” While continuing his efforts for nearly 30 years, a turning point in his bakery’s history suddenly came. With the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, his bakery’s name became widely known among sightseers and tourists. The media covered “French Bakery” in Karuizawa so that customers were eventually forming long lines. They soon filled his shop, travelling from across Japan and abroad.

At Mr Tamura’s shop, some 100 kinds of bread are sold. If he gets a new idea about something he would like to make, even if it comes to him when he is asleep, he tries it out the very next day. His employees are amazed at this ability to take quick action. He and his son are now trying to make bread by using natural yeasts that have been left to mature for a long time. With a particular sweetness and sour taste, and the full body of the dough he uses, the unique product adds a valuable item to the bakery. It is through his effort to pursue and develop new tastes that he is able to hand down the traditional ones. Today, too, loaves of the fresh bread Mr Tamura has baked are arranged in the shop while giving off a rich aroma filled with the baker’s hope of making his customers happy. (2016)