Hita City in northern Kyushu is known for its timber industry and also its geta sandals. Masayuki Motono is a young artisan pouring his energy into coming up with innovative ideas to preserve the wooden sandal tradition. At the age of 25, he took over as the third generation in his family’s geta business, and has come to be known as the “Geta Prince.” Motono’s geta are made from local Japanese cedar, but their design often takes a sharp departure from tradition. He aims for styles that will suit modern fashion, and some of them already have a year-long waiting list. Motono is reinvigorating Hita geta with the flexible mind of youth. We track a young artisan’s wide-ranging efforts to produce and promote “Hita geta that are loved by all” and his thoughts behind them.