The Legend of Goro
The History of Harajuku's Yellow Eagle
By now if you’re in the trenches of any sort of men’s fashion community, you’ve probably seen goro’s handmade jewelry on your favorite influencer. Celebrity guitarists like Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Ronnie Wood regularly flaunt their collections and plenty of fashion industry folk have made a point of advertising their access to the brand. Maybe you’ve dismissed it as garish and overpriced. Maybe you’ve denounced it as an appropriation of Native American culture. Or maybe, you don’t quite understand it at all.
As popular jewelry trends of our era have emphasized extravagance, the true appeal of goro’s often goes overlooked—even by some of the most adorned devotees. The beauty of goro’s, in my belief, lies in the spirit of Goro Takahashi.
Takahashi’s life story follows the trajectory of the Japanese Ametora fashion trend and is emblematic of the passion and devotion that many of his contemporaries placed on preserving and elevating traditional American crafts. The details of his life are already extensively covered online but illustrate his connection to his craft:
To really understand Goro’s the brand, you have to understand Goro the man. Born in Tokyo in 1939, Takahashi was the youngest of six brothers. He began his career early, learning how to carve leather in high school. At a summer camp, Takahashi met an American soldier stationed in Japan, who taught Takahashi leather crafting techniques over the course of the summer. When the soldier’s tour ended, he gifted the 16-year-old Takahashi a set of leather-carving tools, enabling Takashi to further refine his leatherwork.
Clearly, the American made an impression on the young Takahashi, who eventually traveled to the United States to further refine his leatherworking skills. Mr. Takahashi set out to learn the craft for himself from various Native American communities across the country but began to explore silver engraving along the way. He became enamored by indigenous culture and lifestyle through his travels. Takahashi became particularly close to the Lakota tribe and was the first non-Lakota individual to take part in the “Sun Dance” ritual. Takahashi was eventually granted the title “Yellow Eagle”—the eagle being the bird of the east, and yellow the color of the east on the medicine wheel. His relationship with the Lakota was a formative experience that laid the groundwork for what would later become Goro’s.
After returning to Japan, Takahashi became the first officially sanctioned Native American-style silversmith on Japanese soil. He discovered the growing demand for imported American silver jewelry in his home country and it wasn’t long before he was selling his own creations. In 1972, he moved his shop in Tokyo to Omotesando-dori, where it still stands to this day. Initially, the brand spread through word of mouth. Goro’s focused on personal attention and would only sell pieces to customers that the staff felt matched a potential client’s style and temperament.
—Rocky Li for Grailed
I’d caution idolizing a man who took advantage of the Lakota tribe’s generosity and used it to his own benefit rather than theirs, but I truly don’t believe that was his intent. Takahashi was notably reserved and cautious himself when it came to sharing his craft, only selling his work to the public after being sanctioned (in 1966, he was officially certified by The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development as the first 'professional silversmith' in Japan) and believing that each customer needed to have a level of respect and understanding for the work before they could purchase it. He was also persistent to the end in perfecting his craft beyond that of the existing Native American jewelry and leatherwork to more closely reflect his life experiences. His most common designs focus on eagle iconography with yellow gold accents, and his signature stamp—an eagle encircled by the sun, reflects his Lakota name and the ritual that birthed it.
In particular, items that have become classic icons of Goro's, such as the eagle pendant, feather pendant and medicine wheel pendant, symbolize the time when Takahashi lived with the Lakota tribe. The eagle symbolizes noble dignity and majesty while the feathers, which Native American tribes give in rituals to bless the recipient, represent holiness, courage, fearlessness and nobility. The medicine wheel, comprised of a circle with cross in the middle, refers to all knowledge in the universe. The circle represents the cycle of birth and death, while the cross refers to the separation between man and sun.
In the many books on goro’s, Takahashi’s quotes and anecdotes help convey his beliefs;
On letting the art speak for itself— “No advertising, merely a small amount of handiwork.”
On his tireless perfectionism— “I’ll never be satisfied with my works, which push me to make the next one better. If someday I’ve found some work which I am satisfied with, it’s the end of goro’s.”
The cover of his 2007 biography YELLOW EAGLE imparts his advice— “Starting from the heart, free and bold, do as you like with your life.”
Takahashi accomplished unparalleled success in his life thanks to his meticulous craftsmanship and passionate pursuit of his interests, but in every quest for perfectionism, we will always fall short. As the neighboring Harajuku became a hub for emerging fashion brands in the 90s, Japanese and American celebrities and fashion enthusiasts flocked to goro’s, amassing collections that drove up the resale market value and reduced his work to a status symbol for those lucky or rich enough to obtain it. The brand’s popularity soared on the backs of SMAP’s heartthrob Takuya Kimura and local streetwear icon Hiroshi Fujiwara, who helped promote it overseas.
From the moment it gained popularity, goro’s saw countless homages and imitations pop up, including some respectfully from previous apprentices who have been eager to strike out on their own. In recent years, replicas of his work along with some authentic pieces have flooded the resale market, further obscuring the artisanal nature of his craft from new buyers. Today, you’ll have an easier time buying one of his pieces from a specialized consignment store like DeltaOne or RINKAN than you will direct from the source—although the prices are exorbitantly inflated well beyond their original prices. goro’s still operates out of the same Omotesando storefront but it’s even harder to get into than Supreme on a release day, with its calendar that allows visitors based on birth month and location of residence as well as limited days for first-time buyers.
This likely isn’t the future Takahashi or the Lakota tribe had in mind for his life’s work, but understanding the storied history helps honor the traditions that informed it. Goro Takahashi passed away in November 2013 but passed the silversmithing torch to his goro’s family (comprised of several generations of his family and trusted staff members) who keep his spirit alive by carefully reproducing his most popular pieces completely by hand. In 2017, Undercover included goro’s leather bags in their Spring/Summer runway collection.
Designers, celebrities, and cult devotees continue to espouse and celebrate his artisanship, ensuring his international appreciation continues to grow and his spirit lives on. In the words of Takahashi himself:
“Silver has its own spirit, we could find something within it that money cannot buy. Everyone should wear something like this.”
Special thanks to Davil Tran who helped me learn everything I know about goro’s.
