Image from New York Public Library, via Wikimedia Commons
If you visit Osaka, you should especially see two ancient buildings: Osaka Castle and Shitennoji Temple (above), Japan’s first Buddhist temple. Both were built by the construction company Kongo Gumi Kongo Gumi is the oldest continuously operating company in the world. The company was founded in 578 when Shitennoji Temple was built by order of Prince Shotoku. At the time, “Shintoism was the mainstream in Japan, Shrine carpenter (A carpenter who learned the techniques of building Buddhist temples) Eileen Herrera writes: Works, “So the prince hired three skilled men from Baekje, a Buddhist kingdom in what is now Korea,” one of whom was Kongo Shigetsu.
Kongo Gumi continued to be run independently by 40 generations of Kongo Shigetsu’s descendants for more than 1,400 years. By the time Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the company to build Osaka Castle in 1583, the company had been in existence for almost 1,000 years. Over the centuries since, “the castle was destroyed many times by fire and lightning,” Herrera writes. “These major rebuilds provided ample work for Kongo Gumi, and they prospered.” Throughout most of their long history, their specialty, building Buddhist temples, provided a more stable business, at least until the 20th century, when this business model ran into serious problems.
“World War II brought great changes to Japan and the demand for temple construction decreased.” Tourism company Toki says:“Sensing a changing trend, the company made the strategic decision to channel its expertise into a new business: coffin making.” The government permission was arranged by the widow of Kongo Haruichi, the 37th head of Kongo Gumi, who took his own life out of financial despair caused by the Showa Depression of the 1920s. Here, his tenure at the helm of the company indicates a longstanding willingness to hand leadership duties to the family member best suited for the job, not just the eldest son. As such, the Kongo clan’s history features a number of sons-in-law deliberately sought out for the purpose.
The combined effects of the decline of Buddhism and the collapse of Japan’s real estate bubble in the 1990s forced Kongo Gumi to become a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group in January 2006. “Currently, there is only one employee at Kongo Gumi who is from the Kongo family.” Nikkei Asia reported in 2020“She is the daughter of the 40th head of the family” and “is currently the 41st head of the family.” However, Shrine carpenter — Divided into eight separate organizations KumiThe Kongo Gumi group, or group of craftsmen, continues to do what they always have, refining the traditional tools and techniques that have been used for nearly 1,500 years. Kongo Gumi continues to attract international attention for maintaining its high standards of craftsmanship, but viewers of recent American television dramas will also appreciate that Kongo Gumi has resolved the issue of succession.
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Based in Seoul, Colin MaOnershall Writing and broadcastingHe has written papers on cities, languages, and cultures, and his projects include the Substack newsletter. Books about cities And books A city without a state: Walking through 21st-century Los Angeles. Follow us on Twitter CollinhamOnershall or Facebook.
