The “Gōshū Zaibatsu” in Japan’s Cotton Empire
Long after Itōchū became a trading behemoth—ranked among the Fortune Global 500 and second only to Mitsubishi until recently, when it outstripped its rival to become Japan’s biggest trader¹—the company still proudly claims to be “descended from an Ohmi merchant” and “values the spirit of ‘sampo yosh...
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| Published in | Provincializing Empire Vol. 18; pp. 131 - 166 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Book Chapter |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Germany
University of California Press
2023
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| Edition | 1 |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Long after Itōchū became a trading behemoth—ranked among the Fortune Global 500 and second only to Mitsubishi until recently, when it outstripped its rival to become Japan’s biggest trader¹—the company still proudly claims to be “descended from an Ohmi merchant” and “values the spirit of ‘sampo yoshi.’”² That merchant was Itō Chūbē, a peddler of textiles from Toyosato Village. Known as the “last Ōmi shōnin,” Chūbē began his career in the twilight of Tokugawa rule and opened shop in the cotton metropolis of Osaka on the heels of the restoration. He soon set about expanding his business abroad, |
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| ISBN: | 9780520390119 0520390113 |
| DOI: | 10.1525/9780520390126-009 |