1920~: Nishimura family resided in the Lake Biwa area for several generations. Embracing the natural resources, the Nishimura family dedicated their lives to freshwater pearl farming in Lake Biwa. Fresh water pearl farming technology was widely-applied by the Nishimura Family and later evolved by them.

1945~: The Japanese economy rejuvenated post-war era. More and more freshwater pearl trading happened locally in Lake Biwa and the Nishimura Family, not only known for farming, began to export their pearls to other Asian countries and also slowly to the United States.

1960~1972: Young Saburo Nishimura is very proud of the family tradition and his Lake Biwa root. As a child, he worked with the older generation of Nishimura to farm freshwater pearls using the traditional technology. He felt it is his mission to bring the Biwa freshwater pearl to the world, therefore started to explore pearl trading and pearl farming technologies.

1976-1981: Saburo Nishimura became the consultant at the pearl sector of Mitsukoshi Department Store Nihonbashi Main Store, the first department store in Japan.  There, he took great pride in using his knowledge of pearls to introduce their beauty to more customers, turning many into pearl enthusiasts.

1981-1983: Seawater pearls were more popular at this time. Curious to understand the reasoning behind this trend, Nishimura went to explore the difference between seawater pearl farming and freshwater pearl farming. To do this, he traveled to well-known seawater pearl origins, such as Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Australia, French Polynesia, and Fiji and to conduct his research.

1985-1987: Saburo Nishimura set up a biotech company, together with his brother, they started to promote sustainable pearl farming equipment around the world.

1988-2019: After accumulating extensive experience in pearl cultivation and securing a stable supply, Saburo Nishimura started to trade pearls with department stores in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and New York.

2019~: Aiko, inheritor of Saburo Nishimura's deep passion for pearls and legacy, has launched the BIWAKO brand, drawing inspiration from Saburo's hometown by Lake Biwa, and embarked on a new journey in the world of pearl jewelry. She decided to launch BIWAKO as a consumer brand to offer timeless modern heirlooms and to carry on the Nishimura’s mission – to offer the world best-in-kind pearls with Japanese timeless values.