Sumitomo Family - Sumitomo

A wealthy merchant in Osaka. Said to be of Kanmu Heishi clan descent, he is said to have been the lord of Maruoka Castle in Echizen (Fukui Prefecture) at the end of the Warring States period. Masatomo, the founder of the Sumitomo merchant family, first became a monk, but later returned to secular life and ran a book publishing business and pharmacy in Kyoto. The second head of the family, Tomomochi, established the family business with a new technique for separating silver and copper (Nanbanbuki) that he had learned from his father, Soga Riemon (Sister's husband), and also took on the family name, Izumiya. Tomoyoshi moved his headquarters to Osaka in 1630 (Kan'ei 7) and expanded his business into copper refining, copper trade, other import trade, and mine development. The third generation Tomonobu (first to call himself Kichizaemon) managed the Sachio Copper Mine in Dewa (Yamagata Prefecture) and the Yoshioka Copper Mine in Bitchu (Okayama Prefecture), while the fourth generation Tomoyoshi developed the Besshi Copper Mine in Iyo (Ehime Prefecture), further prospering the family business. The Sumitomo family also operated finance and real estate businesses. After the Meiji Restoration, along with the modernization of the Besshi Copper Mine, their main business, the company opened a new head office in 1875 (Meiji 8), and during the Taisho and Showa periods it was reorganized as Sumitomo Limited Partnership Company and Sumitomo Honsha Co., Ltd., forming a large foundation with 15 direct-affiliated companies under its umbrella.

Although the Sumitomo headquarters was dissolved after World War II, each company worked hard to recover and rebuild, and currently 21 major companies are active in various industries as the Sumitomo Group.

[Kawasaki Eitaro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大坂の豪商。桓武平氏(かんむへいし)の出といわれ、戦国末期には越前(えちぜん)丸岡（福井県）の城主であったと伝える。商家住友の祖政友(まさとも)は初め僧となったが、のち還俗(げんぞく)、京都で書籍の出版、薬舗を営んだ。2代友以(とももち)は実父蘇我理右衛門(そがりえもん)（政友の姉婿(あねむこ)）が伝習開発した銀銅分離の新技術（南蛮吹(なんばんぶき)）をもって家業を確立し、また実家の屋号を継いで泉屋と称した。友以は1630年（寛永7）本拠を大坂に移し、銅精錬、銅貿易をはじめ、その他の輸入貿易、鉱山開発などに事業を広げ、3代友信(とものぶ)（初めて吉左衛門(きちざえもん)を称す）は出羽(でわ)幸生銅山(さちうどうざん)（山形県）、備中(びっちゅう)吉岡銅山（岡山県）などを経営、4代友芳(ともよし)に至り伊予別子銅山(べっしどうざん)（愛媛県）を開発して家業はいっそう栄えた。住友家はこのほか金融業、不動産業をも営んでいる。明治維新後は主業である別子銅山の近代化とともに、1875年（明治8）新たに本店を設け、大正・昭和にかけて住友合資会社、株式会社住友本社と改組、傘下に直系15社を擁し一大財団を形成するに至った。

　第二次世界大戦後に住友本社は解散したが、各社は復興再建に努め、現在主要21社が住友グループとして、各業界に活躍している。

［川崎英太郎］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例