Originally Posted by Picchio Special

One version of the story is that Herse attended a bike show in Japan circa 1960, and made a huge splash. Herse tapped into Japan's love of French culture, and given the cost also represented the "unobtainable" in the post-war Japanese economy. Thus the indigenous Japanese constructeur bike market, and its supremely gifted domestic artisans, was born. As you mention, the original models were refined - and occasional new models were created, such as the "pass hunter" and "rinko" types. These bikes, though they often equaled and occasionally surpassed their models, remained within range of many Japanese buyers financially. I believe they are still much more affordable in Japan than when imported into the U.S. I put "copies" in quotes in my post precisely because the Japanese builders brought their own insights, sensibilities, and aesthetic to their task, just as U.S. builders did when they adopted the aesthetic of Italian models in the 70's - they built to the ideal as they understood it as much as to the actual models.