The is one of the largest Japanese ''
keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. In the legal sense, it is a type of informal business group that are loosely organized alliances within the social world of Japan's business community. The ''ke ...
'', or business groups, founded by
Masatomo Sumitomo (1585-1652) around 1615 during the early Edo period.
History
The Sumitomo Group traces its roots to a bookshop in
Kyoto founded circa 1615 by
Masatomo Sumitomo, a former
Buddhist monk.
Even today management of the group is guided by his "Founder's Precepts", written in the 17th century.
Copper refining made the company famous. Riemon Soga, Masatomo Sumitomo's brother-in-law, learned
Western methods of copper refining. In 1590 he established a smelting business, ''Izumiya'', literally meaning "
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
shop".
Riemon perfected techniques that allowed the extraction of
silver from
copper ore, something Japanese technology had not previously accomplished.
The smelting and smithing business was moved from Kyoto to
Osaka by the late 17th century.
Soga passed control of the company to his son Tomomochi who managed its transformation into a major trading house
during the
Edo period.
Sumitomo began to export copper,
import
silk,
and provide financial services.
By 1691,
copper mining had been added to the portfolio.
The
Meiji Restoration allowed Sumitomo to import and utilize Western machines and techniques in its mines.
Sumitomo soon branched out into even more business areas entering the machine and coal industries, as well as the forestry, banking and warehousing businesses
becoming a ''
zaibatsu'',
or business conglomerate.
After World War II, the Japanese ''zaibatsu'' conglomerates, including Sumitomo, were dissolved by the
GHQ and the Japanese government. The group reformed as a ''
keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. In the legal sense, it is a type of informal business group that are loosely organized alliances within the social world of Japan's business community. The ''ke ...
'', a group of independent companies organized around
The Sumitomo Bank (now
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and ser ...
) and bound together by
cross shareholding.
Many companies continue to use the word ''Sumitomo'' in their corporate names. Most of them are managed independently and listed at
Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and other stock exchanges with highly dispersed shareholders. For some, the name only shows their historic origin, and they are no longer considered part of the Sumitomo Group.
Emblem
The
diamond-shaped ''igeta'' mark is reminiscent of a type of frame placed over a well in premodern Japan and was the logo of Riemon Soga's ''Izumiya'' company.
Current or former Sumitomo Group members
* Nikkei 225 constituent company.
References
External links
*
Sumitomo Group Public Affairs Committee*
Official Sumitomo Site
*
Sumitomo Corporation website: historical information
{{Authority control
1630 establishments in Japan
Companies based in Hyōgo Prefecture
Companies based in Osaka Prefecture
Companies established in 1630
Conglomerate companies based in Tokyo
Keiretsu
Mitsui
Zaibatsu