[Adzuki Shogun Naoji Takahashi]
Next door to the Kyowa Hama Building, where the Otaru Showroom is located, is the Otaru Art Base Stained Glass Museum. The beautiful stained glass windows that once decorated an English church are displayed in a building called the “Old Takahashi Warehouse.” This warehouse was built for the storage of adzuki beans by Naoji Takahashi, a businessman with the very Hokkaido nickname “Adzuki Shogun.”
Born in 1856 in what is now Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, Naoji Takahashi moved to Otaru at the age of 18 and began working at a general merchandise store dealing in household goods. After becoming independent, he expanded his business beyond general merchandise to include miso and soy sauce brewing, rice milling, and other businesses. In 1897, he established Takahashi Gomei Kaisha with his brother Yoshizo. This company also began exporting products overseas, negotiating with Nippon Yusen, the largest shipping company in Japan, and succeeding in direct transactions with a trading company in London, which had previously been impossible due to shipping restrictions.
The export of adzuki beans was the catalyst for Naoji's great leap forward. When World War I broke out, Romania and Hungary, which were the main producers of beans in Europe, became battlegrounds, and exports were halted. Anticipating this demand, Naoji purchased a huge quantity of adzuki beans from the production areas in Hokkaido, stored them in a warehouse in Otaru, and built up his wealth by exporting directly. He was so influential in influencing the London market that he came to be known as the “Adzuki Shogun” or “King of Adzuki.” Although Otaru does not have a strong image of adzuki today, the “bean-sorting industry” that sorted exported adzuki was very active in those days. At its peak, there were more than 20 adzuki bean factories around the canal, and more than 6,000 women workers were said to have been involved in the process. Perhaps because of the large number of female workers who visited the factories, the adzuki factories were sometimes called “Mame-Sen Jogakko” (school for women who selected adzuki beans).”
The activities of Adzuki Shogun Naoji were not limited to adzuki beans. He also contributed greatly to the development of Otaru, serving as the head of various organizations in the town, and became one of the first members of the House of Representatives in Hokkaido, and was later elected as a member of the House of Peers with a high tax burden. Naoji took root in Otaru and grew together with Otaru. In addition to the former Takahashi Warehouse, there is another building called the “Former Suhara Residence” that is associated with him. This building is said to have been built by Naoji in 1912 as his own residence, but after his death, it was reconstructed as his own residence by Mr. Sotokichi Suhara, a representative businessman of Otaru, who was from Hokuriku, the same area as Naoji. The house, which sits on a hill overlooking Otaru Bay, is a modern Japanese-style building with a blend of Japanese and Western styles, and its atmospheric garden is also an attraction. After Suhara's death, the house was donated to Otaru City and is designated as a historical building by Otaru City. It is now managed and operated by the Otaru Minka Restoration Project, a non-profit organization, and is carefully used as a place for citizen interaction.
I had been interested in the Suhara Residence for a long time, and when I happened to come across it again through the character of Naoji Takahashi, I felt that I had to visit the house. Although the Suhara Residence is no longer open to the public this season, it would be a good idea to take a walk around the area together with the neighboring Suitengu Shrine. Otaru will soon be in its best season for autumn foliage. It might be interesting to stroll around the town following in the footsteps of Adzuki Shogun. On that occasion, please stop by the Otaru Showroom next to the former Takahashi Warehouse.
Otaru Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/otaru.html
References
https://otaru.jp/blog/4329
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/高橋直治_(実業家)
https://otarucci.jp/shonin-no-kiseki/kiseki-10-2/
https://otaru.gr.jp/tourist/kyusuharatei2024
https://oniwa.garden/suharatei-otaru-hokkaido/
https://www.nitorihd.co.jp/otaru-art-base/stained-glass-museum/
https://shimamukwansei.hatenablog.com/entry/20100215/1266236457
