There is a fact that among the companies lasting for one hundred years or longer all over the world, Japanese ones account for remarkably large ratio. Which is why, there is a rumor that students, professors, and researchers of Harvard University, which is the most famous American university for being smart, are extremely interested in Japanese companies.
But there is a question; what is good about Japanese culture in favor of the management of companies?
In this article, I would like to introduce a custom of Japanese commerce, which I think is a secret of the Japanese 100-year-old companies.
1.Introduction of a custom – What is “Sanpou Yoshi”? Before the modernization of Japan, there had been merchants, who came from the west of Japan to Edo, which is present Tokyo and is located in the east of Japan. Those merchants had a belief, which is the following.
The belief: The basis of commerce is that businesses have to give benefits not only to sellers and buyers, but also to the societies environing the sellers and the buyers. In this belief, sellers, buyers, and the environing societies are followings.
1.1. Seller: the party who serves the buyers goods and services
1.2. Buyer: the party who purchases the goods and services of sellers.
1.3. The environing societies: the societies the sellers and the buyers live in.
The above belief was named “Sanpou Yoshi” and this literally means “good for three directions”. In this belief, those three directions correspond with the above sellers, buyers and environing societies. Each is called the followings.
1)売り手(how to read: Urite): Sellers
2)買い手(how to read: Kaite): Buyers
3)世間(how to read: Seken): The environing societies
The merchants, who had been called “Oumi merchants” had the above belief when doing businesses. Which is why, it is said, they could found long lasting businesses and companies. Thanks to the immense devotions of those merchants, the belief became a part of commercial custom of Japan. And those companies founded by the merchants and their descendants still contributes Japanese society now.
2.What is important for the creation of long lasting companies
Conclusion: It is fine just to apply the above belief to your businesses and works.
The gist is that it is good to take the ideas of the custom “Sanpou Yoshi” to found your own companies. To create long lasting companies, the companies you establish have to contribute to the societies around yourselves. Which is quite natural stuff to think, isn’t it?
This is an extreme example, but in the case of crack dealing, such drag-related businesses may eventually corrupt and collapse societies. This is a case similar to the circumstances at the era of Opium War in China in the mid of the nineteenth century. If the societies embracing the crack dealing businesses decease, so will do the businesses themselves soon enough.
The example above indicates the Japanese custom introduced above is a fundamental requirement to fulfill for the creation of long lasting companies and your own wealth.
3.For your reference
3.1. Is the future of Japan bright?
This is a website I created before, which writes about the future of Japan. In this site the above-mentioned belief is introduced.
3.2. How to generate floods of cash on the Internet – from the novices of ASMR to the veterans of online affiliate
3.3. Leading the World in Longevity: Japanese Firms in Business for a Century or More
Gist: Japan is home to many companies of one hundred years or older.