Founded in 1947 in the Tsunemi Yonehachi shop.

Started business with the wholesale of disposed US military clothing. in the postwar Japnese era when supplies were scarce, the Ameyoko area of Ueno, Tokyo, flourished as a market for food items and used clothing goods. The first time that jeans were sold in Japan (at that time, used jeans) was in this Ameyoko area. Later, the Tsunemi Yonehachi shop began importing used jeans from the United States. The imported jeans were washed, repaired, and prepared for distribution to shops in the Ameyoko area at Nippori close to Ameyoko. Later on, the era changed into one where not only used jeans, but also new jeans, were imported. However, American made jeans at the time were hard and would shrink and fade. On top of that, due to their expensive price, they did not fit well into the Japanese market. This came to be the origin of the jeans manufacturer EDWIN, creating easy-to-wear jeans by hand to suit Japanese people.

1947年、常見米八商店創業。

米軍払い下げ衣料品の卸しを始める。当時、物資が不足していた戦後日本において、東京上野のアメ横は食料品や中古衣料品のマーケットとして栄えた。日本で初めてジーンズ（当初は中古ジーンズ）を販売したのがこのアメ横であった。後に常見米八商店は米国から中古ジーンズの輸入を行い、アメ横にも近い日暮里で中古輸入ジーンズを洗い、補修し、アメ横の販売店へ供給した。その後、中古ジーンズだけでなく、新品のジーンズも輸入される時代となったが、当時の米国製ジーンズは、固い、縮む、色落ちする、そして高額であったことから、日本の市場にフィットしなかった。もっと日本人の体型にあった、履きやすいジーンズを自分たちの手で創ること、この思いがジーンズメーカーEDWINの原点となる。