There’s a house in Kyoto where Haruka and her older brother grew up together.

A somewhat special house: work was discussed even at the dinner table, nine people including aunts and cousins dined together, and the garden was home to dogs, cats, birds, lizards, goldfish, hamsters, crayfish, turtles, and frogs. It wasn't a zoo — it was simply their home.

The Sakamoto family: generations of craftsmanship in Kyoto

The Sakamoto family has been practicing traditional thread dyeing in Kyoto for generations, an art passed down from their great-grandfather to the present day. It's one of those families where work never truly ends when you come home: the craft was part of the daily fabric, of dinner conversations, of values naturally passed down to the children.

Haruka and her brother — two years older — grew up in this environment. A context in which creating something with one's own hands, doing it well, and passing it on had a profound meaning.

A brother in Tokyo, a sister in Italy

Today, Haruka's brother leads ITEM LLC, based in Tokyo, the company that produces and wholesales all ShizenPet products in Japan. Haruka, on the other hand, manages the European market from Italy, carrying on the brand with the same artisanal care she experienced as a child.

Two people, two continents — but the same vision of what it means to truly care for animals.

A house full of life

Returning to that house in Kyoto: the animals were not a whim or a collection. They were part of the family.

Over the years, dogs and cats found abandoned in the nearby public park passed through the Sakamoto home, rescued and adopted without hesitation. Haruka still remembers the day their Shetland Sheepdog gave birth to puppies in the house — a moment that left an impression on a child who was learning what life means. And then the newly bought hamster that gave birth to eight little ones shortly after, bringing another wave of wonder and affectionate chaos to the family.

We grew up amidst life, Haruka recalls. Animals of all kinds, in the garden and in the house. For us, they were — and still are — family members.

Why ShizenPet

When Haruka reflects on her work today, everything comes back to that house.

Growing up surrounded by animals means understanding early on that every creature has real needs: not just food and shelter, but care, respect for its nature, attention to what touches its skin, what it smells, what it licks.

This awareness is at the heart of every choice we have made for ShizenPet products: natural ingredients, safe even if licked, formulated with respect for pets' sensitive sense of smell. These are not marketing choices — these are choices that come from a long tradition.

Thinking about the true happiness of animals, Haruka says, has always seemed to me the most natural thing in the world.

Made in Japan, with artisanal roots

There is a thread connecting great-grandfather Sakamoto's thread dyeing and today's ShizenPet products: attention to detail, the selection of chosen ingredien

ts, and the rejection of shortcuts.

ShizenPet products are formulated and produced in Japan, in collaboration with ITEM LLC, bringing a tradition of artisanal quality to Europe that cannot be improvised. Every bottle that arrives at your home carries a piece of that story.

Welcome to the ShizenPet family. 🌿