角倉 了以
Ryōi Suminokura was born in 1554. A native of Kyoto, his family name was actually Yoshida, but because the family had for generations been in the money-lending business they came to be called Suminokura ("corner storehouse”). Ryoi’s father, Sdkei, was a doctor, but Ryoi, dreaming of a more ambitious and exciting career, allowed his younger brother to take over his father’s medical practice, while he devoted himself to overseas trade and engineering projects.
In 1592 he received from Toyotomi Hide- yoshi one of the shuinjo (vermilion-seal patents), granting him permission to engage in overseas trade, and for the next forty-four years, until the final closing of the country in 1636, he and his son Soan conducted a large number of trading missions to the Annam and Tonkin regions, from which they reaped large profits.
He was buried at the Nison-in at Saga in Kyoto.
In 1606 he undertook a project to clear the Oi River west of Kyoto and open it up for navigation, and the following year he was ordered by the Edo shogunate to do the same for the Fuji River. Some years later he conducted operations to dredge and improve the flow of the Kamo and Takase rivers in Kyoto, opening up an avenue for water transport between Kyoto and Fushimi, where connection was made with other waterways leading to Osaka. Kyoi also drew up plans for an extensive project involving Lake Biwa, but unfortunately he died before he could put them into effect.
