Who was this person?
A businessman of the Meiji and Taishō periods and founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu. Born to a foot-soldier family in Toyama, he served as an apprentice in Edo and then opened the money-changing shop Yasudaya. He founded Yasuda Bank and built many companies centered on banking. He is also known for donations that led to Yasuda Auditorium at the University of Tokyo and Hibiya Public Hall.
| Name | Yasuda Zenjirō (安田善次郎) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1838 – 1921 |
| Period | Late Edo–Taishō |
| Birthplace | Toyama, Etchū Province |
| Main achievements |
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He was born the eldest son of Yasuda Zen'etsu, an ashigaru, a low-ranking warrior of the Toyama domain in Etchū. His childhood name was Iwajirō. The family had bought warrior status and lived half as farmers, half as samurai. It is said that as a boy, seeing merchants make profits, he came to want to make his own way in trade.
He left home for Edo and became an apprentice in a merchant house. He worked first at a toy shop, then at a shop that sold dried bonito and also changed money. Handling money, he learned how the money-changing trade worked and how important it was to keep people's trust. Living frugally, he gradually saved funds to start on his own.
In Nihonbashi he set up on his own, opening Yasudaya, a small shop selling dry goods and changing money. That same year he married Fusako, daughter of a brush maker. Soon he renamed the shop Yasuda Shōten and made money changing its core business. His honest work earned trust, and he is said to have taken on jobs such as collecting old shogunate coins.
When the new government was born in the Meiji Restoration, the dajōkan notes it issued had little credibility and had fallen in value. Zenjirō is said to have helped circulate these notes and made a large profit. His judgment in seeing a great turning point of the age as a business opportunity became the foundation of his later great success.
He became the first president of the Third National Bank, founded under the National Bank Act. He thus moved from money changer to manager of a modern bank. Two years later he was also elected to the Tokyo prefectural assembly, becoming involved not only in business but also in the politics of the city of Tokyo.
He founded the Yasuda Bank based on Yasuda Shōten and shifted the center of his business to banking. It later became the Fuji Bank and is linked to today's Mizuho Bank. Zenjirō regarded finance as his true calling and aimed for solid management that reliably protected deposits. He often took over and rebuilt banks that had fallen into difficulty.
In Kushiro, Hokkaidō, he took on the management of sulfur mines, laid the Kushiro Railway to carry the sulfur and also opened coal mines for fuel. To export sulfur to North America, he worked to develop Kushiro, then a small fishing port. These ventures made the town of Kushiro grow greatly, and Kushiro later honored Zenjirō.
He was elected to the Tokyo city council from Kanda ward. He was among the promoters of companies such as the Imperial Hotel and an electric railway, and also served as an auditor of the Bank of Japan, becoming deeply involved in running the national economy. He warned himself not to overextend his own businesses, yet he firmly financed promising people's ventures.
He founded the real-estate company Tokyo Tatemono. He also set up insurance companies, and the Yasuda zaibatsu took shape, uniting many companies around the bank. He long supported the ventures of Asano Sōichirō, a businessman also from Toyama, and Asano is said to have gratefully named a railway station in Tsurumi "Anzen" after Zenjirō.
He donated one million yen to Tokyo Imperial University to build an auditorium and three million yen to the city of Tokyo for public projects. Believing that donations should be made not for fame but without others knowing, Zenjirō gave anonymously. As a result, these gifts were not known to the public during his lifetime.
At his villa in Ōiso, Kanagawa, he was attacked by a man who had asked to meet him, and he died. The man believed the rich were failing their duty to society, but in fact Zenjirō had made many donations without revealing his name. After his death the University of Tokyo's auditorium came to be called Yasuda Auditorium, and Hibiya Public Hall was also built with his gift.
A. A businessman of the Meiji and Taishō periods and founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu. Born to a foot-soldier family in Toyama, he served as an apprentice in Edo and then opened the money-changing shop Yasudaya. He founded Yasuda Bank and built many companies centered on banking. He is also known for donations that led to Yasuda Auditorium at the University of Tokyo and Hibiya Public Hall.
A. Period: Late Edo–Taishō. Born in 1838, died in 1921.
A. Yasuda Zenjirō was born in Toyama, Etchū Province.
A. Because Yasuda Zenjirō donated the funds to build an auditorium at Tokyo Imperial University. He is said to have wished to donate anonymously; the auditorium was completed after his death and came to be called Yasuda Auditorium in his memory.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
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People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.