Ono group

A merchant of the early modern period and a political merchant in the early Meiji period. He was born in Takashima District, Omi Province (Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture). During the Manji period (1658-61), he began trading with the Nanbu region of Tohoku, transporting goods from Kamigata to the Nanbu region and vice versa. He also operated a sake brewing business and a money exchange business, and flourished. In 1708 (Hoei 5), he advanced to Kyoto. In 1776 (Anei 5), he became part of the Ten Exchange Group, and in 1866 (Keio 2), he became the Edo Honryogai. He came to have branches in three major cities through the buying and selling of ginned cotton, cotton, Japanese thread, raw silk, and other goods. In 1868 (Meiji 1), he was appointed by the new government to be in charge of the exchange department along with the Mitsui and Shimada groups, and helped establish the government's finances. Compared to the Mitsui group, he actively advanced into the exchange departments of each prefecture. In 1872, he planned to establish a private bank, and after establishing the Mitsui-Ono Cooperative Bank, he established the First National Bank (1873). However, due to the misuse of national treasury funds and the large amount of funds invested in the silk-reeling and mining industries, the bank ran into difficulties when it encountered the Meiji government's tightening of collateral requirements, and it eventually went bankrupt at the end of 1874.

[Kato Kozaburo]

"A Study of Onogumi" by Mataji Miyamoto, 4 volumes (1970, Ohara Shinseisha) " "The Unusual Omi Merchants - The Story of Onogumi" by Kyoichi Kubota (1994, Kamogawa Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世商人、明治初期の政商。近江(おうみ)国高島郡（滋賀県高島市）の出身。万治(まんじ)年間（1658～61）東北の南部地方との交易を始め、上方(かみがた)の物資を南部地方へ、逆に南部の物産を上方へ移送、酒造業や両替商も営み発展した。1708年（宝永5）京都に進出。1776年（安永5）には為替(かわせ)十人組に、1866年（慶応2）には江戸本両替となる。繰綿(くりわた)、木綿(もめん)、和糸(わいと)、生絹(すずし)などの売買を通じて三都に支店をもつまでになった。1868年（明治1）新政府より三井組、島田組とともに為替方に任ぜられ、政府の財政確立を助ける。三井組に比べて、各府県の為替方に積極的に進出した。1872年、私立銀行設立を計画、三井・小野組合銀行を経て第一国立銀行（1873）を実現させた。しかし国庫金の乱用と、製糸業、鉱山業経営に多額の資金を投入したため、明治政府の担保要件の強化にあうと経営に行き詰まり、ついに1874年末破産した。

［加藤幸三郎］

『宮本又次著『小野組の研究』全4巻（1970・大原新生社）』▽『久保田暁一著『異色の近江商人――小野組物語』（1994・かもがわ出版）』

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