Collection: About us
Rest in Peace, Shiro | January 21, 2013 – September 29, 2025
Shiro passed away on September 29, 2025 at 5:50pm, in my arms.
Everything happened so quickly and unexpectedly that day. I have been crying and thinking of her every single day since.
I wish we had more time together. I truly believed we would.
I wasn’t sure if I could continue Paraíso Basenji without her — it just didn’t feel the same. But I love creating things, especially featuring Basenjis and other animals. So I decided to continue this journey, always having Shiro somewhere in the things I create — as a tribute to the sweet Shiro in every piece.
Thank you so much to everyone who reached out to me and Kuro during this extremely difficult time. Your words and kindness truly helped us and made this a little less heavy.
Hiro & Kuro — November 8, 2025
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The Story Behind Paraíso Basenji
Paraíso Basenji began on Calle de la Luna in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2017.
The name of the shop derives from how I felt with my Basenjis back then - I feel like I am in paradise, surrounded by them on this tropical island!
Two Basenjis, Shiro and Kuro, lived in a mustard-yellow apartment where they loved looking outside through a small hole in the balcony, watching tourists and locals pass by - including a famous man who walked all over San Juan, selling white azucena flowers in his hand. That scent became synonymous with Old San Juan for us.
We are a small team of three: Shiro, the queen; Kuro, the guardian; and Hiro, the servant of the two (and designer).
・Shiro (Lothlorien's Rose Red from Jokuba C-Quest First Round Knock Out, Black & White and Lothlorien's Banana Foster, Brindle & White) is from Snellville, Georgia.
・Kuro is from Nocturnal Kennel in Roxboro, North Carolina.
・Hiro was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan.
We currently reside in the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada after living in San Francisco, the Rockies, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. (Before that Hiro lived in Toronto, New York, and Tokyo.)
As my lifelong mission, I have decided to take care of my two Basenjis, Shiro and Kuro (and more Basenjis to come in my life!), by staying home with them all day, every day, and working from home.
This is one of the things I do to make that possible.
All designs are created by me through the eyes of Shiro and Kuro - what they saw and experienced in their lives.
I have seen other people have incredible experiences through animals, so in the future, I hope to expand what I create to include other animals as well.
Thank you so much for your support!
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Rest in Peace, しろ｜2013年1月21日〜2025年9月29日
9月29日の午後5時50分に、しろが僕の腕の中で亡くなりました。
あの日の出来事は、朝から全てが一瞬で、全てが全く予想していなかったことでした。
あれから毎日しろを思い出しては涙しています。
もっと一緒にいられる時間があったらよかったのに。もっと時間はあると思っていました。
このパライソ・バセンジのお店は、しろとくろのおかげで存在しているお店です。
ですので、しろが亡くなって、続けられるか正直分からないでいました。
1ヶ月ちょっと考えて、やはりしろとくろのことを想いながら、楽しい日常からインスピレーションを得て何かを作ることはとても楽しく、これからも作るものひとつひとつにしろのことを想いながら作ればいいかなぁと思うに至りました。
しろのことでご連絡やインスタでコメントも下さった方々、本当に感謝しております。ありがとうございました。
お気遣いとお優しいお言葉の数々は、僕とくろにとって前へ進む力となっています。
しろくろパパ & くろ｜2025年11月8日