Background
Soma Teppei was born in 1833 in Niigata, Japan. He was second son of Jiro.
Soma Teppei was born in 1833 in Niigata, Japan. He was second son of Jiro.
As a youth Soma went to Hokkaido, stayed in Hakodate and engaged in the development of the area. He had developed farm land totaling 2,450,000 acres by 1897. In 1880 Soma established the One-Hundred And Thirteenth Bank and became its president, then in 1896 established the Hakodate Savings Bank and subsequently the Soma Bank. In 1919 Teppei organized the Soma Shoten, a joint-stock company and was elected a member of the House of Peers. Soma was one of the major contributors to public welfare in Hokkaido.