The House of Sumitomo has compiled and retained business and official records and other documents since the Edo period. Suiyu Meikan, the history of the House of Sumitomo family, was compiled by Tokuju Fujii in 1887. Subsequently, Kashi Hensan-shitsu (Family History Archives) was established within Sumitomo Head Office in 1918 under Sumitomo Director-General Masaya Suzuki to collect and compile historical records to form a permanent archive.
Kashi Hensan-shitsu (Family History Archives), the forerunner of Sumitomo Historical Archives, was a joint project of Sumitomo Group companies following the post-war dissolution of Sumitomo Head Office. The name of the archives was changed to Shushi-shitsu (Historiography Office) in 1946 and Sumitomo Shushi-shitsu (Sumitomo Historiography Office) in 1966. It was subsequently relocated to a site in Shishigatani, Kyoto, and renamed Sumitomo Historical Archives in 1987.
Although Sumitomo Historical Archives was conceived as an organization to collect and compile the history of the House of Sumitomo, in the post-war period it established a unique presence as a research organization that researches the Sumitomo Group’s business history and collects and retains historical records.
Sumitomo Historical Archives has issued the Sumitomo Historical Archives Journal each year since 1977 to present research results. It issued the 50th volume of the Journal in the milestone year of 2019, the first year of the Reiwa era.
During this 41-year period, the Journal published 178 academic papers as well as introductions to historical materials relating to Sumitomo’s business history. With a view to future research into Sumitomo’s business history, Sumitomo Historical Archives has primarily researched the history of Sumitomo’s modern management up to the dissolution of the zaibatsu, in addition to enhancing research of notable developments from the early modern period to the late modern period.
The 50th volume of the Journal opens with a review of the history of Sumitomo Historical Archives, followed by six illuminating papers on the history of Sumitomo’s modern management. In addition, to provide a handy reference, the back numbers of the Journal are listed.
Sumitomo Historical Archives published a book on Sumitomo in the modern era (post-Meiji to the dissolution of the zaibatsu) to mark publication of the 50th volume of the Sumitomo Historical Archives Journal. We think you will find this book fascinating.
| Special Contribution — “Collection and Compilation of Sumitomo’s History and Characteristics Thereof: A 131-Year Journey that Started from Collection and Compilation of the Family History” | Teruaki Sueoka |
| “Zaibatsu and Konzern Thoughts on the ‘Zaibatsu’ (Continued)” | Masahiro Shimotani |
| “Functions of the Corporate Accounting Department of Sumitomo in the Modern Era” | Tomohiro Maki |
| “The Copper Production Industry and Sumitomo Circa 1930” | Junko Watanabe |
| “Occurrence of the Great Kanto Earthquake and Information Gathering at the Osaka Head Office: Limited Partnership Corporation ‘Information Report’ and Initial Response” | Ryo Umihara |
| “Sumitomo Head Office Loans by Department Circa in the Early Meiji Era” | Hideaki Sato |
| “The Copper Refining Industry and Sumitomo Copper Refinery in the Early Meiji Era” | Ryoichi Yasukuni |
| Comprehensive Table of Contents of Sumitomo Shushi-shitsu Journal and Sumitomo Historical Archives Journal (covering Volume 1 to Volume 50 and a separate volume) | |
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