Japanese people first encountered Western umbrellas in 1854, when Commodore Perry of the United States landed off the coast of Uraga in a black ship to open the country and conclude a treaty of amity and amity. This was during the Edo period, at the end of the Edo period, when the umbrella was called a bat umbrella because of its black shape.

The first Japanese-made Western umbrellas were produced four years later by Senme Kosakamoto Shoten, which had been selling imported Western umbrellas since 1868 (first year of the Meiji era). Its history dates back to 1872 (Meiji 5).

• 1868 (Meiji 1) the "Sennenka Sakamoto Shouten" was among the first to start selling imported Western-style umbrellas, embracing the early influences of Western culture.

• 1872 (Meiji 5) the same store, based on its experience with imported Western-style umbrellas, had improved the materials by using "Kaiki" (a silk fabric with 400 years of history from Koshu), and for the first time, produced Japanese-made Western-style umbrellas by disassembling imported ones. During the same year, Hikojirou Uemura, who dealt in imported goods, also began selling imported Western-style umbrellas. Furthermore, Western-style umbrella parts were imported from the United Kingdom, and using Koshu silk, Western-style umbrellas were produced.
• 1887 (Meiji 20) the 6th generation of "Sennenka Sakamoto Shouten," Yushichi Sakamoto, spent five years in Paris, France, researching Western-style umbrella production and trends, returning to Japan in 1890 (Meiji 23).
• 1890 (Meiji 23) steel materials that could be heat-treated were introduced for umbrella frames, marking the beginning of domestic production for Western-style umbrellas.

• 1894 (Meiji 27) for the silver wedding anniversary of Emperor Meiji, Tokyo Western Umbrella Association presented Emperor Meiji with a high-quality Western-style umbrella crafted by Yushichi Sakamoto of "Sennenka" for gentlemen and a Western-style umbrella crafted by Hikojirou Uemura for ladies. The quality and design of these umbrellas were of such high standards that they rivaled or even surpassed imported Western-style umbrellas.
• 1895 (Meiji 28) Kounosuke Kawano, a manufacturer of Western-style umbrella frames, succeeded in producing U-shaped grooved parent ribs, leading to the complete domestic production of Western-style umbrella frames. This basic structure and manufacturing method is still in use today.
• 1899 (Meiji 32) Kawano further succeeded in bending Swedish rolled steel ribbons into a U-shape, resulting in Western-style umbrellas with ribs made from this material. Western-style umbrellas made from this material, along with silk fabrics from the late Meiji period, can still be found at Komiyashouten's shop in Higashi-Nihonbashi.

• 1912 (Taisho 1) during the Taisho era, Japan experienced an artistic boom heavily influenced by Western culture. Umbrellas were elevated to traditional craft status during this period. Fabrics incorporated Western techniques into kimono textiles, combining lace and embroidery. Umbrella handles featured carvings of ivory, tortoiseshell, lacquerwork, and gold leaf, showcasing the craftsmanship of artisans.

• 1926 (Showa 1) the Showa era marked the beginning of women's increased participation in society, and the umbrella industry expanded. Various improvements were made to folding umbrella frames, leading to the introduction of two-stage shafts, three-stage compact types, and smaller and lighter multi-stage mini-umbrellas.

• 1930 (Showa 5) the introduction of highly waterproof and low-cost nylon fabric contributed to a significant expansion in the demand for folding umbrellas.
• 1941 (Showa 16) In Japan, with the start of war with the United States and Britain in the Pacific Ocean, the Western umbrella industry was in a state of decline as companies consolidated and closed down due to the Wartime Control Order of 1944.
• 1945 (Showa 20) Japan ended the war with unconditional surrender, and the umbrella industry was restarted after the war with new activities.
• 1949 (Showa 24) The product has been developed and commercialized based on the German Knirps folding umbrella with a sliding center rod. In the same year, the Western Umbrella Shawl Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cooperative was established and continues to this day.
• 1951 (Showa 26) improvements in folding umbrellas continued, with the development of the hook-type mechanism for securing the front and back ribs, which laid the foundation for the modern Japanese folding umbrella.
• 1953 (Showa 28) the emergence of highly waterproof and low-cost nylon fabric led to a revolutionary increase in the popularity of folding umbrellas.
• 1954 (Showa 29) further improvements in folding umbrellas led to the development of folding umbrellas with springs integrated into the front and back ribs, enabling easy opening and closing.
• 1960 (Showa 35) umbrellas that were previously produced exclusively for export as jump-style long umbrellas began to be sold domestically. During the same year, the "Tetron" brand introduced stable, robust polyester fabric, establishing the foundation for the modern umbrella industry.
• 1963 (Showa 38) the Japan Umbrella Promotion Council (JUPA) was founded by umbrella manufacturers across the country and continues to operate to this day.
• 1964 (Showa 39) Japan hosted the Olympic Games for the first time since the end of World War II, marking its return to the global stage.
• 1965 (Showa 40) Japanese umbrella production achieved the status of "Triple Crown," producing the highest number (43.2 million pieces), consuming the most (32.4 million pieces), and exporting the most (10.28 million pieces) umbrellas in the world. During this period, the miniaturization of folding umbrellas advanced, and the two-stage middle shaft was improved to become a three-stage compact type. Aluminum alloys were introduced for shafts and rib materials, contributing to the development of lightweight mini-umbrellas.
• 1970 (Showa 45) the Osaka World Exposition featured a unique umbrella known as the "Expo Umbrella," which could be opened and closed by hand on the handle.
• 1972 (Showa 47) the introduction of the first domestically licensed brand umbrellas, such as Pierre Cardin from France, marked the beginning of well-known brand umbrellas, including Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Nina Ricci, being sold in major department stores and specialty shops.
• 1980 (Showa 55) during this period, the era of high economic growth and the bubble economy began to decline. Major brands, such as Sonia Rykiel, Emanuel Kahn, and Kensei Takada, joined house brands like Burberry, Daks, and Aquascutum, and the licensing brand umbrella industry expanded, becoming a major trend. With high-quality manufacturing technology and artistic expression, production bases moved to South Korea and later to Taiwan.
• 1989 (Heisei 1) Japan transitioned from the Showa era to the Heisei era, with the umbrella manufacturing base gradually shifting from Taiwan to mainland China.
• 1990 (Heisei 2) despite the economic bubble bursting during this period, the import of umbrellas from mainland China remained stable, with an annual import quantity of around 120 million pieces. China's economic growth was also accompanied by long-standing environmental pollution issues. In Japan, the use of disposable transparent polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• 2009 (Heisei 21) In this year, a new product called the "Ecological Western Umbrella" was developed in the umbrella industry, which is an environmentally friendly umbrella whose components can be easily disassembled and classified into those that can be incinerated and those that can be reused, but they are vulnerable to wind pressure. Therefore, it does not lead to results and disappears naturally.
• 2010 (Heisei 22) China, which has enjoyed double-digit growth in gross domestic product (GDP) as the world's manufacturing factory, began to slow down around the time of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. At the time, the Western umbrella production factory operated in the special economic zone was beginning to have difficulty maintaining stable production due to rising labor costs and labor shortages.
• 2016 (Heisei 28) By this time, China's gross domestic product had become difficult to maintain at 7%, and the aggregate results at the end of the fiscal year were reported to be 6.7%. The integrated process Western umbrella production factory has become a factory subdivided by process, and has been reduced to about 1/10th the size of its peak. The manufacturing base for low-cost transparent PVC umbrellas has already begun to move from China to Cambodia. Additionally, both the quantity and value of Western umbrellas exported from China to Japan have decreased by approximately 20% compared to the previous year.
• 2017 (Heisei 29) With the international Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games coming up in three years, the number of tourists from overseas is increasing year by year, and the purpose of tourism is changing significantly. There is a growing interest among Japanese people and others in contact with Japan's nature, history, and traditional culture, as well as in handmade traditional crafts, including Japanese-made Western umbrellas.
• 2018 (Heisei 30) Tokyo Western umbrellas, which inherit nearly 150 years of history and traditional techniques, have been certified as a "Tokyo traditional craft". Currently, the production of Japanese-made umbrellas, including Tokyo Western umbrellas, is about 660,000, half the number in 2008, but due to the aging of processing craftsmen, we are reviewing the training of successors and the procurement network of parts necessary for product processing. has become a major issue.
• 2019 (Heisei 31) Eight craftsmen who have been making Tokyo Western umbrellas for many years using techniques that have been nurtured by the climate and history of Tokyo and have been passed down through the ages have been certified as "Tokyo Traditional Craftsmen".