Mitsui & Co.

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Signature MoveMorning-Shift Work, First-Round-Only Socializing

Strategic PatternMeiji Deregulation as Merchant Liberation

Signature MoveFuneral-Altar Vows as Policy Triggers

Signature MoveRice-in-Suitcase Executive Visits

Signature MoveLive-In-Store Communal Dedication

Capital StrategyRaw Silk Era Export Dependency

Strategic PatternGradual Declaration, Not Bold Promises

Cornerstone MovePeople as the Only Factory

Identity & CultureJodo Shinshu Ethics as Commercial Backbone

Cornerstone MoveSmall Profits Stacked Where Giants Won't Stoop

Competitive AdvantageOmi Merchant Geography as Destiny

Cornerstone MoveKa-Ke-Fu: Earn-Cut-Protect as Operating Religion

Primary Evidence

"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."

Source:Itochu - The Strongest Merchant Beyond the Zaibatsu Corporations

"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."

Source:Itochu - The Strongest Merchant Beyond the Zaibatsu Corporations

Appears In Volumes

Itochu - The Strongest Merchant Beyond the Zaibatsu Corporations