Yamatoya Shirt Co. is the most famous Japanese men's shirts trademark. It was founded in Yokohama by Seiemon ISHIKAWA (1855-1936), who opened Japan's first shirt shop on Benten Street in Kannai. He got his first shirt from the Western sailor when he was 18 years old. Later he dismantled the shirts he acquired and resewed them to learn the process. The fabric he used at that time was a cotton cloth called Kanakin. In the Taisho era (1912-1926) the company expanded to include branches in Ginza, Kobe, New York, and Tianjin, China. Among its customers were Franklin D. Roosevelt, Emperors Meiji and Taisho. The company has been in business for 149 years.