(born December 7, 1927) is a Japanese entrepreneur. Formerly a civil servant, he is the founder and (until 2020) president of

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...

, a merchandise company known for its characters, including

Hello Kitty , also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...

Biography

Early life

Shintaro Tsuji was born in Kofu,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

, to a manageress of three ''ryokan''. He was a student of a kindergarten affiliated with the

Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin is a private girls academy founded on November 6, 1884, in Azabu, Minato, Tokyo by Martha J. Cartmell, a Methodist missionary from Canada.SeHistory of Tōyō Eiwa Jogakuin, page 1. Accessed June 15, 2006] Toyo Eiwa Women's University, establishe ...

. As part of a wealthy family belonging to the Saegusa clan, Tsuji, as their first child, lived a life of luxury, yet he was secluded. When his mother died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

, Tsuji was under the care of his abusive aunt. From 1945 to 1947, Tsuji studied

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

at Kiryu Technical College (now a part of

Gunma University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Aramaki-machi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. History Gunma University was established in 1949 by integrating the national colleges in Gunma Prefecture: , , ...

); at that time, he also practiced manufacturing, and he would later take advantage of the post-World War II shortage situation in the country by creating goods for the black market - an act that formed the basis of his entrepreneurial career.

Government tenure

In 1949, Tsuji started working for the government of Yamanashi Prefecture, at the urging of his relatives. He first worked in a job Tsuji described as his "second adversity after his boyhood", before becoming a teacher, and later (under the request of

Hisashi Amano Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it. Kanji Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include: *: "long time" *: "eternal" *: "still" *: "standard" *: "complete" *: "long" *: "li ...

, then-governor of Yamanashi Prefecture), a commerce worker. He would later leave the government in 1960, but not before being almost involved in a slander campaign against Amano's opponents.

As founder of Sanrio

On August 10, 1960, with in capital, Tsuji founded Yamanashi Silk Center, a textile company that would eventually become Sanrio. In 2020, Tsuji stepped down as president of Sanrio, and was succeeded by his grandson, Tomokuni.

Personal life

Tsuji married Yasuko in the 1950s. He is the father of Kunihiko Tsuji (who was at one point the heir of Sanrio before his death in 2013) and the grandfather of Tomokuni Tsuji (currently the president of Sanrio, and the youngest CEO of a

TOPIX , commonly known as TOPIX, along with the Nikkei 225, is an important stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in Japan, tracking all domestic companies of the exchange's Prime market division. It is calculated and published by the T ...

-listed company), who coincidentally has the same birthday as Hello Kitty. Tsuji had an interest in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, owing to his time with his aunt. During his college years, Tsuji contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and had to recover in his family home for several months. As president of Sanrio, he also thought of committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at one point, but Tsuji ended up wanting to live upon undergoing

polypectomy In medicine, a polypectomy is the removal of an abnormal growth of tissue called a polyp. Polypectomy can be performed by excision if the polyp is external (on the skin). See also * Colonic polypectomy * Non-lifting sign The non-lifting sign i ...

Works

Filmography (selected)

Bibliography

As a book author, he had written more than a dozen books, ranging from fairy tales to business.

References

Footnotes

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuji, Shintaro 1927 births Japanese businesspeople People from Yamanashi Prefecture Anime screenwriters Living people Sanrio