In the summer of 2021, Mitsuharu “Mitsu” Kurokawa ’03 stood at his office window, taking in the shimmering expanse of Tokyo and reflecting on his new role as president of Toraya Confectionery. Since the early 1600s, Toraya had crafted wagashi, the traditional sweets served to the Japanese imperial family and essential to seasonal celebrations across Japan. For more than four centuries, leadership at Toraya had passed with ease from one generation of the Kurokawa family to the next; in 2020, Mitsuhara’s father stepped down after nearly three decades at the helm, entrusting the company to his then 35-year-old son. Now, as the 18th-generation president, Mitsu faced the formidable task of continuing the family’s legacy while growing the business and navigating the upheaval of a pandemic quickly sweeping the globe.

Toraya Confectionery’s story dates back to Kyoto during the reign of Emperor Go-Yōzei, which began in 1586. “For most of the company’s history, Toraya made sweets primarily for the royal family, used in their rituals throughout the year,” Mitsu notes. These delicacies included namagashi, intricately crafted desserts often used in tea ceremonies. Made from fruit jellies or sweetened bean paste, namagashi are crafted by artisans from fresh, natural ingredients and inspired by the seasons and nature. The company also made steamed buns bursting with filling, called manju, and popular pounded rice sweets, called mochi, that the royal family sometimes gifted to the public. “We used to take orders from nobles and aristocrats, who would distribute the sweets to their workers,” Mitsu explains. After World War II, however, Toraya began expanding its reach, opening its first storefront in 1962. Today, in addition to continuing to serve as an official purveyor to the imperial family, Toraya operates 80 stores across Japan and one in Paris. 

Blair Academy Beckons
When Mitsu took the helm of the company in 2020, he found himself facing a set of challenges as intricate as the company’s history, but Mitsu was long used to dealing with challenges. Arriving at Blair as a sophomore in the fall of 2001, he experienced living abroad for the first time. His mother’s cousin, Toshihiro Matsuo ’88, had attended Blair and recommended it. “Blair represented a huge cultural difference for me,” Mitsu recalls. “I had the experience of going outside my boundaries and meeting people from different cultures.” Mitsu describes his Blair years as some of the most impactful of his life. He gained confidence in his ability to survive in a challenging environment and the invaluable experience of living in an unfamiliar culture with different rules and expectations. 

A handful of mentors made a profound difference to him at Blair. English teacher Robert Cooke guided Mitsu through the complexities of the English language with kindness and humor, and he discovered a love for ceramics with art teacher Philip Homes. He admired the structured approach of science teacher Rick Clarke, PhD, in physics class, and the rigor of Latta Browse’s Calculus BC, where he learned alongside students from all over the world. These experiences, he says, laid the foundation for his ability to connect with ease with diverse people. “After Blair, I went to Babson College and met my wife, and now I have great friends from around the world. Because I went to Blair, it is easy to communicate with them and I got a better understanding of different worlds.” 

After college, Mitsu returned to Japan with one thought in mind: to work for Toraya. “It was my dream,” he says simply. “Toraya is as much a part of my identity as being Japanese.” After spending three years immersing himself in Toraya’s manufacturing operations, first at a company factory and then as a pâtissier in the company’s Paris boutique, he moved into a management role. 

Challenges & Innovations
Now, as the company’s 18th-generation president, Mitsu is committed to enhancing product quality and evolving to appeal to modern audiences—all while carefully preserving the brand’s iconic, luxury image. Mitsu sees huge potential in wagashi, noting that the sweet’s plant-derived ingredients make them a healthy alternative that could gain a global following, much like sushi. “Twenty or 30 years ago, not so many people outside of Japan ate sushi. But over time, people learned to know it and love it. I believe that in 10 or 20 years, everyone can be eating Japanese sweets.” 

To help him explore the possibilities, in 2021, Mitsu sought some of the world’s brightest minds to help him answer these questions—He introduced Toraya’s story to Harvard Business School as a case study. Business students studied the company’s legacy and debated strategies for global expansion, considering detailed issues like the quality of azuki beans—essential for Toraya’s popular sweet called yokan—which are often inferior when grown outside of Japan. “The professor invites me to attend the final presentation of the semester,” he says. “It is always interesting to hear their ideas.”

Fortunately, the future looks bright for Toraya. Although the company experienced a sales downturn and closed a few stores during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitsu is pleased to share that the company has made a strong recovery. “The last two years have been the best in our entire sales history,” he proudly reports. This success has come from strategic cost-cutting measures that never sacrificed the fresh, natural ingredients that make wagashi delicious. Another factor has been the company’s high-profile partnerships. Since 2021, Mitsu has operated a joint restaurant in Gotemba, where the Toraya factory resides, with Kei Kobayashi, the first Japanese chef to earn three Michelin stars in French cuisine in Paris. “We also recently partnered with Saint-Louis, owned by Hermès, to open a bar in Ginza, Tokyo,” he adds.

Looking back, Mitsu remains deeply grateful for the experiences that have shaped him, especially his time at Blair. “Blair impacted my life so much,” he recalls. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” And, of course, he hopes that any Blair friends visiting Japan or Paris will stop by one of Toraya’s shops to experience the artistry of wagashi firsthand. But, with so many exquisite options, which one should they try first? “Namagashi,” Mitsu says without hesitation, “the delicate sweet used in traditional tea ceremonies. They must be eaten fresh daily. It’s our signature.” 

Looking Ahead
When Mitsu looks at his own three young children now, he envisions a day when they, too, might take the reins at Toraya, continuing the family tradition that has flourished for more than four centuries. In a country that is home to 33,000 businesses more than a century old, many of which are family-owned, Mitsu recognizes that Toraya’s endurance is tied to a deep-rooted respect in Japan for tradition and prioritizing quality. “At Toraya, we are not focused on maximizing sales or profits at any cost,” he explains. “Our priority is providing something unique: an amazing and high-quality product.” 

Mitsu hopes the next generation will embrace these values, holding fast to Toraya’s mission: to make the finest sweets possible. “This principle was set by our ancestors, and it will continue to be our guide,” he affirms. And so, as he looks forward, Mitsu is determined to balance Toraya’s heritage while also sharing the art of wagashi with the world. It is a vision of balance and purpose, and Mitsu plans to deliver it—one exquisitely crafted sweet at a time.