Understanding the Name Change Charts

Last updated on December 21, 2023

The name change charts track the changes in names of companies and organizations related to Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931). Companies and organizations with direct connections to Eiichi, their predecessors prior to Eiichi's involvement, and those that resulted from a merger with a company or organization related to Eiichi are all included in the charts and indicated by various markings.

The main volumes of the Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo covering Eiichi’s achievements as an adult are divided into three parts: “Business and the Economy,” “Public and Social Works,” and “Personal Affairs.” The name change charts focus on the first two. Roughly 85% of Eiichi's business involvements from the "Business and the Economy" part have been traced in 123 charts. For the "Public and Social Works" part, however, only roughly 15% of the organizations listed, focusing on those with which Eiichi had a stronger connection, have been selected and traced in 37 charts. To see a complete list of Shibusawa Eiichi's involvements please see the "Jigyo ichiran" (Industry List).

1.Companies/Organizations in the Name Change Charts and the Shibusawa Eiichi Denki Shiryo

Companies and organizations with which Shibusawa Eiichi had a direct involvement were selected from the main volumes of the Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo. Chart titles were assigned according to the industries such as "Banks," "Land Transportation," "Shrines, " and "Business Education," as listed in the "Jigyobetsu nenpu" (Chronological List by Industry) found in volume 58 of the Denki shiryo. In addition, chapter titles from the table of contents of the Denki shiryo such as "Finance," "Commerce and Industry," and "Social Programs" are listed as "Table of Contents Items." The order of the name change charts follows the same order as the table of contents of the Denki shiryo. For an overview of the table of contents see the "Kakukan rinku" (Volume-by-volume Links) to the digital version of the Denki shiryo.

2.Content and Data

  • Data for the charts has been collected from the sources listed below.
  • The name change charts were created according to classifications found in the "Business and the Economy" and "Public and Social Works" parts of the Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo. The headings for the name change charts and sources pages thus list this information following the title of the chart and the Denki shiryo table of contents item name.
  • Each name change chart follows a company or organization from the time of founding through various name changes. Each company or organization name is listed with the reading and the dates it was used.
  • Company and organization names are written using the names that appear in the references listed below. Companies or organizations that dissolved and were re-established have been listed as separate entities even if the same name was used. Company and organization types have been abbreviated as shown in the table below.
  • If there are widely used abbreviations or popular names, they are also listed in the name field.
  • The readings for company and organization names are based on supposition and may differ from official readings. For example, the reading “Nippon” has been used for all names with the characters “日本” unless there is proof that the company or organization used the reading “Nihon.” The readings of company and organization types have been omitted.
  • The dates for the use of a company or organization name may include the dates of: application, approval, or registration of establishment; founding general meeting; beginning of operations; or business transfers, mergers, and dissolutions. These dates have been collected from authoritative sources, but may differ from official dates for the establishment and dissolution of a company or organization. Dates are given in the Western calendar.
  • In general, mergers, divisions, and various other changes are only listed if they resulted in a change to the name of the company or organization.
  • The year of a merger is marked with an arrow. In the case of dissolution, cessation of business, or general business failure, the arrow appears after the entry.
  • Name change charts have also been compiled for selected newspapers, magazines and other publications.

■Abbreviations

Company and Organization Type Abbreviation
joint-stock company, corporation (株式会社, kabushiki gaisha) (株)
limited partnership, Ltd. (合資会社, goshi gaisha) (資)
unlimited partnership, & Co. (合名会社, gomei gaisha) (名)
anonymous partnership (匿名組合, tokumei kumiai) (匿)
limited company, Inc./Ltd. (有限会社, yugen gaisha) (有)
'liability' has been omitted from 'limited-liability company' (有限責任会社, yugen sekinin gaisha)
foundation (財団法人, zaidan hojin) (財)
public benefit foundation (公益財団法人, koeki zaidan hojin) (公財)
general incorporated foundation (一般財団法人, ippan zaidan hojin) (一財)
corporation (社団法人, shadan hojin) (社)
public interest association (公益社団法人, koeki shadan hojin) (公社)
general incorporated association (一般社団法人, ippan shadan hojin) (一社)
social welfare institution (社会福祉法人, shakai fukushi hojin) (福)
national university institution (国立大学法人, kokuritsu daigaku hojin) (国)
national research and development institution (国立研究開発法人, kokuritsu kenkyu kaihatsu hojin) (国研)
independent administrative institution (独立行政法人, dokuritsu gyosei hojin) (独)
local independent administrative institution (地方独立行政法人, chiho dokuritsu gyosei hojin) (地独)
semi-governmental corporation (特殊法人, tokushu hojin) (特)

3.Colors

Orange boxes with the character “栄” denote companies and organizations where Shibusawa Eiichi served as an executive, shareholder, advisor, or otherwise offered assistance.
Yellow boxes denote subsequent companies and organizations (orange companies and organizations that were inherited or underwent a name change). However, in cases where Shibusawa Eiichi's involvement in a company or organization was limited to having given a lecture or attended a meeting, following companies and organizations are not marked by yellow boxes.
Blue boxes denote companies and organizations that have not inherited the business that Eiichi was involved in, but that have organizational connections through mergers with the above companies and organizations.

The chronological arrow on the left-hand side of the page changes color in 1840 and 1931, the years of Shibusawa Eiichi's birth and death.

4.Names and Sources

The sources used for each name change chart have been compiled into a separate list for each company or organization. The layout is as follows.

Company/Organization Name name of the company or organization as it appears in the sources
Years period during which the company or organization name was used (dates according to the Western Gregorian calendar)
Shibusawa Eiichi’s Role Shibusawa Eiichi’s connection to or position within the company or organization (for example shareholder, advisor, etc.)

Sources

IR and Other Corporate Materials securities reports, business reports, corporate transition documents, and other similar official documents from the company or organization
Company/Organization Histories (Shashi/Dantaishi)(publisher, date of publication) Shashi or Dantaishi and other relevant reference materials
Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo (Shibusawa Eiichi Biographical Materials) Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo. Vols. 1-57. Shibusawa Seien Memorial Foundation Ryumonsha, ed. Tokyo: Shibusawa Eiichi Denki Shiryo Kankokai, 1955-1964.
Includes a listing of the volume and page number where the company or organization first appears. If a section on a specific company or organization spans two volumes, the starting page number for each volume is listed. Also includes a link to the digital version of the Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo.
Chart numbers from Shuyo kigyo no keifuzu (Genealogies of Principal Enterprises) Number from the following published genealogical charts
Shuyo kigyo no keifuzu. Shintaro Yagura and Yoshiro Ikushima, eds. Tokyo: Yushodo Shuppan, 1986.
Website The “History,” “About Us,” or similar page on the company or organization website
Additional information Differences between sources on company and organization names or dates and other information is noted here.

Related name change charts

Clicking on a heading will open the corresponding name change chart.

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