The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-17
ROCkEFELLERS
Of DAI NIPPON
Something About the Famous
Mitsui Family of
Financiers.
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic ]. Haskin.)

TOKIO-The Mitsui family of japan
is one of the oldest and strongest
business concerns in the world. Il
has a finger in almost every kind OF
enterprise in the Island Empire, and
its qualifications extend to all parts
of the globe In financial strength il
is second only to the Imperial House
hold. 1t has it's own fleet of steamers
to carry it's great commerce, which is
30 extensive that it amounts to one
seventh of the entire foreign trade OF
Japan. 1t mines one-third of the
whole annual coal production of the
country, and its trade in cotton yarn
constitutes one-third of the nation $
total output.
According to the historians of the
Mitsui family their early ancestors
were great warriors. But on one &C.
casion, several hundred years ago, the
trounced by a vicious rival where
fore he turned his back upon war
like pursuits and opened a drygoods
store. From that time on the ener-
gies of the clan were applied to COM
mercial pursuits with such success
that the business founded by the de-
feated brave is now one of the strong
pillars of the Empire. The early Nit
sui traders were the pioneers in the
a plan for the collection and remit
lance of money, and established the
first carriers business in Japan.
As early as 1887 the Mitsui family
was appointed by the government as
its purveyor and controller of public
exchange. In recognition of the SER
vices rendered at this time a vast
estate in Toxic was conferred upon
the clan. The Mitsuis have continued
to render valuable service to the state.
For two centuries they We're loyal to
the Tokugawa Shogunate, and later to
the Emperor. In fact, when the pres
ent Emperor was restored to actual
power, the anti-Shogun party was
financed by the Mitsuis. For this SER
vice the head of the house was Great
ed a peer, and other members of the
family have been decorated and given
various kinds of honOrs.
The holdings of the House of Mitsui
are the common property of the MEM
bers of eleven families, and the con-
duct of affairs is under the direct con-
troll of a board made up of the heads
of these family groups. According to
the social customs of Japan, the unit
of society is the family and not the
individual. Family" is a collective
word and does not necessarily mean
one household. 1t may consist of for
ty households with 200 members, but
in the eyes of the law it is one family,
it is ruled by a family council, and
the oldest son of an oldest son presides
over it, The individual is always sub
servient to the family, and when the
rights or interests of one person are
in the balance against the
rights or interests of the whole body,
the decision is always against the in
dividual.
Bv laws and customs of inheritance,
the estate Oh the AotIlCI 1CSNCAiS1 ~
the first born son by primogeniture.
The younger sons must be adopted into
another family, or failing to do this,
must make their own fortunes indie
pendently. In the case of the Mltsul
family, however, from the oldest to
the youngest, there is no particular
property to which any individual can
enter his absolute claim. The proper
ties are the common holdings of all.
1t is collective body or joint associa-
ton. working with a combined capital
and under joint liability.
The family rules under which this
great organization works were drawn
UP in 1873, (when George Washington
was one year old, and they continue
in force until this day, being only
slightly modified TO conform to the
requirements of the laws of the coun-
try under its constitution. The origin
al rules were left to the family in the
last viii and testament of one Taxa
toshi, and were codified by his son.
Takahira. The many
changes in all these years have not
altered the principles of these rules,
and the business which owns its own
steamship lines and girdles the globe
s still governed by regulations origin
ally intended for a drygoods store in
ancient Yeddo. a city TO which no
foreigner might come, and located in
4 country from which no native might
Journey
The influence of the Mitsui family
n the economical affairs of Japan is
% extensive that it is difficult to give
anything like a comprehensive survey
# il. The undertakings may be divid-
"a into the four departments of bank
ng, foreign and domestic trade. min
ng and wholesale and retail dry
soods. Under these come innumerable
branches. such as home commerce.
oreign trade, shipping, fisheries, in
urance agencies warehouses, retail
rade, iron and engineering works. and