Background
Otani Takejiro was born on December 13, 1877 in Kyoto, Japan.
Otani Takejiro and Shirai Matsujiro (1932)
Otani Takejiro was born on December 13, 1877 in Kyoto, Japan.
Otani was involved in theatre from a young age, becoming the head of the Kyoto Sakai-za theater in 1895.
In 1902, he and his brother Matsujiro founded the Matsutake company, combining their names to form the new company name. The company would later be renamed Shochiku, using the on-yomi readings of the same kanji characters.
After taking over the entertainment business in the Osaka area he shifted his activities to Tokyo where he slowly brought Shintomiza, the Hongoza and the Kabukiza also under his control.
In 1914, he obtained the promotional rights to the Kabuki-za, and in 1937 he became the president of Shôchiku. After the end of World War II, he was active in working towards the recovery of the theater and film worlds, particularly in the preservation of the traditional arts of kabuki and bunraku, and the revival of shinpa.
His son-in-law was Shiro Kido who became president of the Shochiku Company (since 1955).