First Shokai on Yokosuka’s Dobuita Street is known for custom sukajan built around a customer’s own idea. Owner Ryoichi Matsuzaka uses a hand-guided embroidery machine to translate drawings and photographs into one-off jackets.
What is First Shokai?
Matsuzaka opened his own shop on Dobuita Street in the 1980s. A 2022 Town News profile described him, then aged 92, continuing to handle both customers and production himself.
Before establishing First Shokai, he worked in the souvenir trade serving U.S. personnel in Yokosuka. He later introduced a yokoburi-style embroidery machine so that names and other requests could be completed directly, developing his technique through practice.
What can you order?
The shop is especially associated with designs brought by the customer. Traditional tigers, dragons and eagles are possible starting points, but published interviews and shop material also show personal subjects such as pets and original illustrations.
A useful reference should be clear, high-resolution and shown from the angle you want embroidered. Copyrighted characters, logos and artwork may require permission from the rights holder.
A practical ordering sequence
- Call before travelling to confirm that the shop is open and accepting the type of order you want.
- Prepare a drawing, photograph or other visual reference.
- Discuss the design, jacket body, colour combination, lettering, embroidery size and whether the jacket is single-sided or reversible.
- Before confirming, ask for the price, payment method, estimated completion date and collection or delivery arrangements in writing.
No official online order form or current fixed price list was found in November 2026. Treat an in-person conversation as the normal starting point unless the shop tells you otherwise.
Price and lead time
A full custom price can change with the jacket body, embroidery area, complexity, colour count, lettering and construction. Older videos and personal accounts mention very different completion periods, but those figures describe individual orders at particular times.
Do not plan a trip or event around an old review. Ask for the current estimate after the shop has seen your design.
How First Shokai differs from Prince Shokai
The distinction is not about which shop is “better.” They represent different approaches within the same local culture.
- First Shokai: often introduced as a full-custom shop that can begin with the customer’s own artwork.
- Prince Shokai: known for choosing and combining designs and specifications developed within the shop’s long-established vocabulary.
What either shop can accept may change with workload and circumstances. Read the separate Prince Shokai guide and the four-shop Yokosuka guide.
Ryoichi Matsuzaka and hand-guided embroidery
With a yokoburi embroidery machine, the maker controls the width and direction of the stitch while moving the fabric by hand. Matsuzaka has described thickness and three-dimensional character as part of its appeal.
Daisuke Yamagami, who now runs Dobuita Koba Studio, was drawn to Matsuzaka’s embroidery and learned basic machine operation and lettering from him. Their connection is covered in the Dobuita Koba Studio guide.
See the shop and examples on video
The Japanese YouTube channel Bra-Aniki filmed Matsuzaka discussing the shop, past orders and embroidery. The practical information reflects the time of filming, but the footage remains useful for seeing the working environment.
Shop information
| Shop | First Shokai / ファースト商会 |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-5 Honcho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-0041, Japan |
| Phone | 046-825-3800 (from outside Japan: +81-46-825-3800) |
| Listed hours | 10:30–19:30 |
| Listed closing days | First and third Thursday |
| Map | Open in Google Maps |
The hours above were checked against the Dobuita Street directory in November 2026. This is a small independent shop, so confirm by phone before travelling. English-language service is not guaranteed.