Born into a family of very low samurai rank in Inokuchi village, Tosa (Aki, Kōchi).
He went to Edo to study.
Protesting his father's arrest after a quarrel, he was himself jailed.
In Nagasaki he ran the Tosa domain's trade and helped with the Kaientai's accounts.
He started his own shipping business and named it Mitsubishi Shōkai.
He handled troop and supply transport for the Taiwan expedition, winning the government's trust.
He opened a route to Shanghai and won out against foreign shipping companies.
He handled government transport during the Satsuma Rebellion, greatly expanding his firm.
Amid fierce competition with a government-backed rival, he died of illness.
Yoshida TōyōGoto ShojiroKatō Takaaki
Kido TakayoshiŌtori KeisukeEtō ShinpeiFukuzawa YukichiMaejima HisokaMatsukata MasayoshiEnomoto TakeakiGodai Tomoatsu
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.