Fujita Denzaburo

Fujita Denzaburo was the son of sake brewer from Yamaguchi. He joined the “sonno joi undo” (movement to revere the emperor and expel the barbarians) of the Hagi Clan in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was deeply involved in national affairs and participated in the Kiheitai (irregular militia). After the Meiji Restoration, he moved to Osaka and started manufacturing military shoes in 1869, serving as a military contractor.

He reaped enormous profits and formed the Fujita-Gumi in 1881. After undertaking the government Kosaka mine in 1884, he expanded his business into various fields centered on the coal mining business. Not only did he participate in the foundation of Osaka Spinning, Hankai railroad, and other companies, but he also served as the Director of Osaka Shoho Kaigisho (chamber of commerce and industry). He was a leading figure of the Kansai financial world. In 1911, he was elevated in rank to danshaku (baron).

Fujita Denzaburo was also an art connoisseur, he collected many Japanese and Chinese works of art throughout his life, which constituted the founding collection of the Osaka museum that bears his name (Fujita Bijutsukan).