History of Tsutaya Iwasaki Drapery Shop

The "Tsutaya" spirit which has been preserved since the Tempo Era

The history of the Iwasaki family dates back to 1674. A map depicting Iwamurada-juku in 1842 shows a record of the Iwasaki family as haberdashery merchants under the trade name "Tsutaya Jisuke". The Iwasaki family served as the leaders of the peasantry and during the Great Tempo Famine the head of the family, Yasukichi Iwasaki, and fifteen other members petitioned the town officials to release the reserve fund. In the end their request was denied and Yasukichi revolted. He was eventually captured and harshly punished. Yasukichi, who was related to the family of the prince, placed a letter of complaint on the tip of some green bamboo and asked for help from the Mito Chunagon's procession, and thanks to his efforts, a part of his savings was returned and he was able to escape the crime by being confined to his estate.

The spirit of business passed down through the generations at Tsutaya is "Be considerate, grateful to others, and work hard for your business. The episode of Yasukichi also illustrates this point. I believe that even today, we must not forget this spirit in our daily business activities.