Mitsui & Co.

"For Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsui & Co., importing natural gas, oil, coal, and iron ore and supplying them to steel and power companies has been a major pillar of their profits. On the other hand, since Itochu was originally a “textile trading company,” it could not rely on resources as a major source of profit. For this reason, it had to go around businesses in non-resource fields such as textiles and food, and make do by steadily generating small profits. They have honed their wisdom to gather small profits. That is why, with changing circumstances, they leaped to the top. They adapted to an era in which resource prices fluctuated wildly and the presence of heavy and large-scale industries declined."

"In “A Social History of Food” (Shintaro Mogi, Soseisha), there is a description of the meals provided to 80 employees working at the Echigoya kimono shop during the same period (1886). Echigoya Kimono Shop is today’s Mitsukoshi Isetan. It’s also the origin of Mitsui & Co. This was a retail shop, not a wholesaler."