was a bureaucrat, politician and entrepreneur in late Meiji and early Taishō period

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

. He is noted for his involvement in the development of the

South Manchurian Railway The South Manchuria Railway ( ja, 南満州鉄道, translit=Minamimanshū Tetsudō; ), officially , Mantetsu ( ja, 満鉄, translit=Mantetsu) or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operatio ...

Biography

Hayakawa was born in

Kanazawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape File:もてな ...

Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,140,573 (31 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to ...

. He graduated from the Law School of

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1887. In January 1890, he was hired by the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Eco ...

, and became a director of the

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. History Like most modern Japanese instituti ...

in 1899. After leaving public service, Hayakawa became director of the

Mitsui Bank was a major Japanese bank from 1876 to 1990. It merged with Taiyo Kobe Bank to form Mitsui Taiyo Kobe Bank (MTKB), which was renamed The Sakura Bank in April 1992. Sakura Bank is now part of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). History T ...

in 1901, and chairman of the board in 1909. With the creation of the Mitsui Gomei ''

zaibatsu is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertical integration, vertically integrated business conglomerate (company), conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over signi ...

'' through the merger of Mitsui Bank with Mitsui Trading, he became vice director in 1918. He left Mitsui the following year to become director of the

Bank of Chosen A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

. From 1920-1922 he was an appointed member of the House of Peers. In May 1921, he also became President of the

South Manchurian Railway Company The South Manchuria Railway ( ja, 南満州鉄道, translit=Minamimanshū Tetsudō; ), officially , Mantetsu ( ja, 満鉄, translit=Mantetsu) or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operatio ...

, and died in office due to a stroke in October 1922. Hayakawa was a close friend of Inazō Nitobe and

Tsuda Umeko was a Japanese educator and a pioneer in education for women in Meiji period Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tsuda Umeko" in . Originally named Tsuda Ume, with ''ume'' referring to the Japanese plum, she went by the name Ume Tsuda ...

, and assisted their efforts in promoting the education of women in Japan through the establishment of a non-profit charity foundation. Hayakawa, a prominent lay Buddhist, and student of the

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

abbot of

Engaku-ji , or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Founded ...

, Suzuki Daisetsu, also founded the ''Kochokan'', a boarding house for samurai-descended students from Ishikawa Prefecture in Tokyo.

References

* Morikawa Hidemasa. ''The Organizational Structure of the Mitsubishi and Mitsui Zaibatsu 1968-1922''. Hosei University * Kasuya, Makoto. ''Coping with Crisis: International Financial Institutions in the Interwar Period''. Oxford University Press (2000). . Pg 87 *Sawada, Janine Anderson. ''Practical Pursuits: Religion, Politics, and Personal Cultivation in Nineteenth Century Japan''. University of Hawaii Press (2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayakawa, Senkichiro 1863 births 1922 deaths Members of the House of Peers (Japan) People from Ishikawa Prefecture People of Meiji-period Japan University of Tokyo alumni Politicians from Ishikawa Prefecture