Soichiro Asano

Founder of the Asano Zaibatsu. Born in Toyama Prefecture. As a boy, he had a talent for business and ran into various businesses, but failed, and ran away to Tokyo in 1871 (Meiji 4). Eventually, he became acquainted with Eiichi Shibusawa through his business in firewood and coal, which gave him the clue to his future development. In 1884, with Shibusawa's help, he succeeded in selling off the government-run Fukagawa Cement Factory, and from then on, he devoted his innovative efforts to developing Asano Cement (later Nippon Cement, now Taiheiyo Cement) into the leading cement manufacturer in Japan. In 1891, he also founded Toyo Kisen, opening Japan's first regular Pacific shipping route. In 1913 (Taisho 2), he began a reclamation project covering 1.5 million tsubo (approximately 5 million square meters) of the coast of Tsurumi and Kawasaki, which he completed by the early Showa period (part of the current Keihin Industrial Zone). He also diversified into other businesses, such as coal mining, shipbuilding, steelmaking, electricity, and trading, and built up the Asano Zaibatsu. He also received a lot of financial support from Zenjiro Yasuda (founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu), and the relationship between the two has been likened to "Asano is the engine and Yasuda is the coal."

[Yoichi Kobayakawa]

"Asano Soichiro" by Asano Taijiro and Ryozo (1923, Asano Bunko) " ▽ "Anatomy of the Japanese Zaibatsu" by Takahashi Kamekichi (1930, Chuokoron-Shinsha) ▽ "No Poverty Can Keep Up with Earning Money - Asano Soichiro and the Asano Zaibatsu" by Saito Ken (1998, Toyo Keizai Shinposha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

浅野財閥の創設者。富山県に生まれる。少年時代より商才にたけ各種の商業を営んだが失敗し、1871年（明治4）東京へ出奔した。やがて薪炭、石炭などの商売から渋沢栄一の知遇を得るなど、後日の発展の糸口をつかんだ。1884年渋沢の助力により官営深川セメント工場の払下げに成功し、以後、革新的な努力を傾注して浅野セメント（後の日本セメント、現太平洋セメント）を国内随一のセメント・メーカーに発展させた。また1891年東洋汽船を設立、日本最初の太平洋定期航路を開設した。さらに1913年（大正2）鶴見、川崎沿岸150万坪（約500万平方メートル）の埋立て事業に着手、昭和初期までに完工させた（現在の京浜工業地帯の一部）。そのほか炭鉱、造船、製鉄、電力、貿易などの事業へ多角的拡大を図り、浅野財閥を築き上げた。なお安田善次郎（安田財閥の創設者）から多くの資金援助を受けており、両者の関係については「浅野はエンジンで、安田は石炭」などとも例えられた。

［小早川洋一］

『浅野泰治郎・良三著『浅野総一郎』（1923・浅野文庫）』▽『高橋亀吉著『日本財閥の解剖』（1930・中央公論社）』▽『斎藤憲著『稼ぐに追いつく貧乏なし――浅野総一郎と浅野財閥』（1998・東洋経済新報社）』

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