Kicking off with: 〜を皮切りに
Noun + を皮切りに（して）／を皮切りとして
Noun + を皮切りに: X is the first in a series of similar events that follow on and spread. For a simple trigger, you say をきっかけに (or を契機に in writing).
In short
〜を皮切りに names the first event in a series that then follows on and grows: “starting with X, then…”. 皮切り is literally “the first cut”. It's used for a tour, successive launches, a wave of openings or reactions. Press and press-release style.
- 東京公演を皮切りに、全国20都市を回るツアーが始まる。とうきょうこうえんをかわきりに、ぜんこくにじゅうとしをまわるつあーがはじまる。The tour, which will visit twenty cities around the country, opens with a concert in Tokyo.
- 彼の発言を皮切りに、出席者から次々と反対意見が出た。かれのはつげんをかわきりに、しゅっせきしゃからつぎつぎとはんたいいけんがでた。His remarks opened the floodgates: one objection after another came from the participants.
- 新製品は来月の日本発売を皮切りに、アジア各国で順次発売される。しんせいひんはらいげつのにほんはつばいをかわきりに、あじあかっこくでじゅんじはつばいされる。The new product will launch first in Japan next month, then roll out across Asia.
The basics
〜を皮切りに sets down the first link in a chain. The rest of the sentence necessarily describes a series that spreads: other cities, other countries, other reactions, other products. The first event and those that follow are of the same kind.
It's a typical expression of newspapers and press releases: 「〜を皮切りに、各地で」「〜を皮切りに、次々と」「〜を皮切りに、順次」.
The national tour opens with a concert in Tokyo.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 東京公演を皮切りに全国ツアーが始まる。とうきょうこうえんをかわきりにぜんこくつあーがはじまる。The national tour opens with a concert in Tokyo.
- 九州を皮切りに、梅雨入りが各地で発表された。きゅうしゅうをかわきりに、つゆいりがかくちではっぴょうされた。Starting with Kyūshū, the start of the rainy season was announced region after region.
How to form it
It goes after a noun for an event or a place. Three variants with the same meaning, more or less written.
| Form | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + を皮切りに | written, press (most common) | 神戸を皮切りに |
| Noun + を皮切りにして | a little more explanatory | この発表を皮切りにして |
| Noun + を皮切りとして | very written | 本日の式典を皮切りとして |
| Noun + が皮切りとなって | the first becomes the trigger | その一言が皮切りとなって |
- その一言が皮切りとなって、議論は一気に白熱した。そのひとことがかわきりとなって、ぎろんはいっきにはくねつした。That one remark was the first spark: the debate immediately heated up.
- 本日の式典を皮切りとして、記念行事が一年間続く。ほんじつのしきてんをかわきりとして、きねんぎょうじがいちねんかんつづく。Today's ceremony kicks off a whole year of commemorative events.
皮切り, きっかけ or 契機?
〜をきっかけに refers to a trigger: an event that brings about a change, often a personal one (a meeting that sparks a passion). Nothing requires what follows to be a series. 〜を契機に is its written version.
〜を皮切りに, by contrast, requires a sequence of events of the same kind, of which X is the first. A tour starts with Tokyo: 皮切り. A trip makes you want to learn Japanese: きっかけ.
| Expression | What it marks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜を皮切りに | the first of a spreading series | 東京を皮切りに全国で |
| 〜をきっかけに | the trigger for a change | 旅行をきっかけに日本語を始めた |
| 〜を契機に | same, written style | 震災を契機に防災意識が高まった |
- 旅行をきっかけに、日本語を勉強し始めた。りょこうをきっかけに、にほんごをべんきょうしはじめた。It was a trip that made me want to learn Japanese.
- 震災を契機に、防災への意識が高まった。しんさいをけいきに、ぼうさいへのいしきがたかまった。The earthquake raised awareness of the importance of disaster prevention.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a single personal change: “×留学を皮切りに日本が好きになった” is wrong; it's 留学をきっかけに.
- Forgetting the series: after 皮切り, you need a sequence that spreads (次々と, 各地で, 順次…).
- Reading 皮切り as “hikiri”: it's かわきり.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Tōkaidō Line (The press and current affairs) of the Shinkansen.