Eiichi Shibusawa

Eiichi Shibusawa ( March 16, 1840 - November 11, 1931} was a Japanese industrialist. He founded hundreds of modern corporation in Japan, many of which survived to this day.(e.g. First National Bank of Japan, and is known as the "father of Japanese capitalism." Shibusawa was born in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture. He spearheaded a campaign to redeem the reputation of businessmen in Japan from the Edo period official ideology, which placed merchants at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Another notable asspect is that, despite his massive influence in founding of Japanese Capitalism, he did not form large Zaibatsu organisation. What is know as Shibusawa Zaibatsu was arranged for the purpose of estate rather than business conglomarite empire.