Soga Riemon

Background

Soga Riemon was born in Kawachi Province (Osaka Prefecture).

Career

Soga Riemon was a copper merchant, he learned from Europeans a method of extracting gold and silver from crude copper in Sakai (1591). Bought crude copper from various parts of Japan and processed it at his refinery built at Teramachi, Kyoto, making immense profits. Up to then, the Japanese did not know how to refine crude copper and used and exported the metal in its original form.

Around 1596 he went to Nagasaki, Hirado and Hakata and conducted copper transactions directly with foreign merchants. When Hideyoshi Toyotomi recast the Great Buddha of the Hokoji Temple in Kyoto (1602) and cast a large bell for the temple (1614), Riemon furnished the required copper.

He opened his store at Awajicho in Osaka (1630) and built refineries in the same city. His house was called Izumiya, which developed into the Sumitomo Zaibatsu (group of concern).

Connections

His wife was an elder sister of Masatomo Sumitomo.

Son:

Rihe

Rihe married a daughter of Masatomo Sumitomo and assumed the family name of Sumitomo.