Ōkura Kihachirō

Baron Ōkura Kihachirō (大倉 喜八郎) was a Japanese businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was the corporate progenitor of the Ōkura-gumi zaibatsu, which later became the Taisei Corporation, and the Ōkura Shōgyō Gakkō ("Okura Commerce School") which later became Tokyo University of Economics in 1949.[1] In contrast to most of the zaibatsu, the Ōkura zaibatsu was founded by someone from the peasant class.

Biography

Ōkura was born in Echigo Province, and moved to Edo and worked for three years before starting his own grocery store in 1857. After selling groceries for eight years,[2] he became a weapons dealer during the turbulent years between the arrival of the Black Ships and the eventual overthrow in 1867 of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Despite being born a peasant, he became an expert in Shindō Munen-ryū. He became one of the principal business investors of the original Imperial Hotel completed in 1890.[3]

Kihachiro's son, Kishichirō, is credited with introducing the automobile into Japan.

Ōkura first went to Korea when he was around 40 years old. He visited soon after Korea was forcefully opened by Japan. In 1878, he established the First Bank of Japan in Busan. He then worked in trade and supplies for the Japanese military. When Korea went under Japanese colonial rule, the colonial government began auctioning off buildings in the Korean royal palace Gyeongbokgung.

Honors

See also

• Ōkura Kishichirō
• Suematsu Kenchō
• Kikuchi Dairoku
• Inagaki Manjirō
• Anglo-Japanese relations

External links

• - Taisei Corporation History
• - Okura Kihachiro pictures