Atsushi Shimizu
Japanese perfumer and Kyara Innovate founder, translating regional materials, ukiyo-e and local histories into scent.
Japan
About Atsushi Shimizu
Atsushi Shimizu is a Japanese perfumer and the founder of Kyara Innovate. As HATENKO's general director, he describes himself as a traveller who connects the stories of places through scent, bringing regional culture into the experience of wearing perfume.
Career
From 2003 to 2007, Shimizu worked as a sales manager at the trading company that represented Diptyque in Japan. Encounters with traditional crafts and their dwindling communities encouraged him to establish Kyara Innovate in 2008; he later began studying perfumery after meeting a mentor through his work. He opened the inimu store in Asakusa in 2023 and launched HATENKO in 2025.
Creative Style and Philosophy
Travel, conversations with producers and collaboration with craftspeople shape his approach to Japanese materials. Ukiyo-e provides more than an image for a package: its colours, landscapes and atmosphere become starting points for a composition. For Hanabi, he explored combinations that could suggest a grassy riverbank through galbanum and the red of fireworks through a plum impression.
Signature Works
- *Hanabi* — A response to Hiroshige's fireworks over the Sumida River, translating the riverbank and the red bursts of light into scent.
- *Isonami* — Inspired by Hokusai's waves, combining yuzu, grapefruit and a marine impression to suggest a strong yet clear coastal breeze.
