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Hideji Katano of YouTuber Anitube also really likes the comfort of the shoes.

*This product is made to order.
We will ship your order within approximately two months.

Service shoes are shoes worn by police officers, military personnel, postal workers, and other public servants to go with their uniforms. The term is mainly used in the United States. Empire Shoes in Nara, which manufactures shoes for police officers and public servants across Japan, has created service shoes in the style once worn by US military non-commissioned officers. The glossy glass leather gives off a casual look when worn. These leather shoes have a wide range of uses, and can be worn with both business and casual denim styles. The traditional leather sole is combined with a non-slip rubber sheet to enhance practicality.
*Since genuine leather is used, there may be uneven coloring and small scratches.

Upper: Japanese glass (cowhide)
Sole: Leather (with anti-slip rubber)
Size: 23.5cm - 29cm
Width: D・2E
Color: Black
Made in Japan

"We want to provide comfortable leather shoes that fit perfectly." With this in mind, seven leather shoe manufacturers in Nara jointly developed "Nara Wooden Lasts" based on the current trends in Japanese foot shapes. Leather shoes made with these wooden lasts are now available.

What is Naragigata?

The shape of a shoe is created by sewing together flat pieces of leather or fabric, placing them on a "last" and pulling them strongly downward. The "last" determines not only the shape but also the comfort of the shoe. A last that allows many people with a wide variety of foot shapes to wear the shoes as comfortably as possible. That is what shoe manufacturers should aim for. However, it is not rare that ideals and reality differ, with priority given to design, or only thicker ones that are easy for wide feet to enter. The "Nara Last" is a last developed by seven leather shoe manufacturers in Nara, returning to the original form and taking into consideration the different foot shapes of Japanese people today. We offer 12 sizes and two widths, and aim to provide the comfort of shoes that fit perfectly to people with narrow feet, wide feet, low insteps, and high insteps.

Do Japanese people have high arches and wide feet? No, that's not the case anymore.

It is said that "Japanese people have high insteps and wide feet." This used to be true. For men, there are many people with wide feet, such as EEE (3E) or EEEE (4E) in the JIS standard foot circumference (foot width, width), and many shoes that fit such feet have been made as "shoes that fit Japanese feet." However, a recent survey shows that things are different now. It was found that 53% of men under the age of 44 have widths of A to E, meaning that many people have thin or slightly thin feet. However, most of the shoes on the shelves are still wide. The main reason for this is that wide shoes are easy to sell because they can fit thin feet. The reality is that it is difficult to find shoes that fit the thin feet that are becoming more common these days.

Everyone's feet are different, and they all need shoes that fit them perfectly.

As shown in the table, the shape of Japanese feet is extremely diverse, not only in length but also in width (foot circumference, width). There are thin and thick feet, thin feet with low insteps, and high insteps. Many leather shoes can be worn comfortably if they fit the feet properly, but if there are only wide shoes, people with thin and narrow feet will have to wear shoes that do not fit. Even if there are no shoes that fit all feet, there should be at least two types of widths available in a wide range of sizes: shoes that fit thin and thin feet and shoes that fit wide and high insteps. I think that such shoes are necessary. This will allow more people to experience the inherent comfort of leather shoes.

Shoe trees that fit the changing shape of Japanese feet

In addition to having sizes and widths, another thing to consider is the change in the shape of Japanese feet. The aforementioned survey found that even people with the same foot circumference (foot width, width) are increasingly having thinner feet than before. It is necessary to design wooden shoes that reflect this trend in foot shapes. Based on this issue, volunteers from seven leather shoe manufacturers in Nara came together to develop a wooden shoe that can be widely used by Nara leather shoe manufacturers and named it the "Nara Wooden Last." The design can be used for both dress and business shoes as well as casual shoes, and is available in 12 sizes with foot lengths of 23.5 to 29.0 cm, and two widths, D and EE. Some leather shoe manufacturers in Nara have already started making leather shoes using this wooden last. We want many people to experience the comfortable fit of leather shoes that fit well. This is only a small step towards that goal. There are still many challenges ahead, such as how to help users find the size and width that fits them perfectly, but I would be happy if this wooden last can be a starting point on the way there. With this in mind, we created Narakigata.

Characteristics of Naragigata

Narakigata (ready-made shoe lasts)

For expensive custom-made shoes, a shoe tree can be made to fit the wearer's foot shape by measuring it. However, the majority of shoes are ready-made and made for a wide range of users with various foot shapes. The Naragi last was designed as one of those ready-made shoe trees. By offering two widths and 12 sizes and taking into account the tendency of foot shapes to change, we aim to provide shoes that fit perfectly to more people than ever before, but we hope you understand that we cannot guarantee a perfect fit for everyone.

[Empire Shoes, Dehara Shoes]

Since our founding 65 years ago, we have been making high-quality, delicate shoes by making the most of the wisdom and high technical skills of our shoemakers. We value the continuation of the "tradition" of shoemaking, and will continue to incorporate new trends and develop products that will satisfy our customers.

Founded 65 years ago
More than 50 years ago, a pair of leather shoes was very expensive and customers would cherish and wear that pair. For shoemakers, this was a joy and a source of pride. As time passed, the sense and needs for "leather shoes" changed, but we at Empire Shoes Dehara Shoemaking have inherited the passion of the craftsmen who made shoes up until now, and we aim to make shoes that our customers will want to cherish.

Carefully selected genuine leather
Since our founding, we have been committed to using genuine leather and have been selling European-style traditional and soft business shoes, focusing on business shoes. As they are made from natural materials, no two pairs are exactly alike. We value the natural texture and make the most of the individuality of the leather to create a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes.


Delivery to government agencies
Our many years of experience have earned us the trust of our public servants, and we deliver to them every year. We also deliver to the Osaka Prefectural Police, Hyogo Prefectural Police, Kinki District Fire Department, and many other police and fire departments in other prefectures. We hope that you will find our products to be an indicator of safety and reliability.

[Notes]

• Since we sell our products simultaneously at physical stores and multiple online shops, products may be out of stock depending on the timing of updates.
• The color and luster of the product may differ from the actual product depending on the shooting conditions, the monitor you are using, etc.
• The finishing process is done by hand. There may be differences in the finish for each pair, and even between left and right shoes.
• This product is manufactured by a manufacturer that uses leather shoe sizes. Please note that the same size as sneakers will be too large. The size is the same as general business shoes.