In the smoky salons of the Western elite, the whisper of "old money" conjures images of grand estates, backdoor dealings, and priceless art collections.

Their roots trace back to European aristocracy and have endured through countless eras.

However, the allure of centuries-long affluence and unending political power is not confined to the marbled halls of the West - it is a siren song that reverberates across continents and cultures.

Almost nowhere is this more evident than in Japan - that mysterious archipelago shrouded in mist and myth.

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How Napoleon’s Descendants (Finally) Became "Old Money": [ Ссылка ]

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The 900 Year “Old Money” Family That Owns Monaco (House of Grimaldi): [ Ссылка ]

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
1:40 1. From Samurai To Salesmen
4:56 2. The Meiji Restoration and The Mitsui Transition
7:55 3. A Century of War and Wages
10:55 4. “The Japanese Miracle” and Mitsui Modernity

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The storied legacy of the Mitsui Dynasty begins with the birth of their first patriarch, exactly 400 years ago - as of last year.

He - Mitsui Takatoshi - emerged into the world in 1622 - a native of Matsusaka in Ise Province—today's Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture.

Although born to merchant parents, Takatoshi had samurai blood - his grandfather had been a samurai, the Governor of Echigo Province, until ousted and sent into exile by Oda Nobunaga—a fate seen as more merciful than the gallows, but one of social and political marginalization nonetheless.

Takatoshi's father thus took the daring step of shedding his warrior status, pivoting instead to the world of commerce - a domain dominated by his adept wife, Shuhō.

Such a transformation from samurai to merchant was uncommon - yet not unfathomable - particularly in an era when peace rendered martial abilities redundant.

In 1868, The Meiji Restoration would emerge as more than just a political recalibration - it was, in fact, a radical upheaval that reverberated through every stratum of the Japanese landscape.

The Tokugawa shogunate, already buckling under economic quagmire, societal discord, and humiliating treaties with the West, found itself stripped of credibility among both daimyos and samurais.

The nation yearned for resurgence, modernization, and a seat at the global high table.

Within this maelstrom of change, the Mitsui family - by then a towering edifice in the merchant and industrial sectors - had to reevaluate their playbook.

Their pivot toward the Meiji government would come not so much as a planned betrayal - but more as a pragmatic, calculated, and necessary move.

Indeed, loyalty to a faltering Tokugawa regime was tantamount to betting on a sinking ship - and the Mitsuis were astute enough to tether their destiny to the nation's prospective course.

To dovetail with this new era, the family turned its gaze westward for business inspirations.

Their tutelage came from a blend of avenues—recruitment of foreign savants, analysis of Western conglomerates, and dispatching kin abroad for erudition and skills.

Equally crucial were their liaisons within governmental corridors and influential families—a nexus that rendered them an information hub and reservoir of clout.

As we probably all know by now, the twentieth century would mark a period of profound transformation for Japan, with the ascendancy of industrialization and the influential role of zaibatsu—the financial titans of the age—serving as cornerstones of modernization.

In this era of tumultuous change, the Mitsui family - a paragon of mercantile and industrial prowess for centuries at this point - demonstrated an uncanny ability to adapt and flourish.

Their foundations - solidified during the Meiji period by embracing Western business philosophies - fortified their enterprise against the winds of change.

As Japan metamorphosed into an industrial powerhouse, zaibatsu such as Mitsui became indispensable conduits for national prosperity.

The Mitsui empire, hence, expanded its tentacles - enveloping an array of sectors from construction to energy and from finance to shipping.

In the ashes of Japan's zaibatsu—those colossal family-run conglomerates dismantled after the Second World War—rose a new system of corporate alliance - the keiretsu.

This intricate web of business relationships found two forms - horizontal and vertical - the former guided by a central bank and cross-ownership among companies - the latter chaining suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors.

The Mitsui lineage - having weathered such changes for centuries - smoothly navigated this transition - assimilating into a framework that would define modern Japanese enterprise.
You see, post-war Japan was a Phoenix - rapidly reborn from the rubble.

The era - roughly spanning the nineteen fifties to the early nineteen nineties and coined as "The Japanese Miracle” - became a fantastic enigma in economic circles.

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