Yasuda Zenjirō

Yasuda Zenjirō (安田 善次郎) was born on November 25, 1838, in Toyama, Etchu Province, Japan. He was the son of a poor samurai and a member of the Yasuda clan. At the age of 17, Yasuda moved to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and began working in a money-changing house.

In 1863, Yasuda commenced providing tax-farming services to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Following the Meiji Restoration, he continued offering these services to the newly established Meiji government. He profited during this period through the timing of tax collection and remittance, as well as by purchasing depreciated Meiji paper currency, which the government later exchanged for gold.

Yasuda played a significant role in the development of Japan's financial sector. He was involved in establishing the Third National Bank in 1876. In 1880, he founded Yasuda Bank, which later became Fuji Bank and is currently part of the Mizuho Financial Group. Additionally, he founded the Yasuda Mutual Life Insurance Company, which eventually merged into Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance. The Yasuda zaibatsu was formed as a holding company encompassing these financial entities. In 1893, the zaibatsu absorbed the Tokyo Fire Insurance Company, which was renamed Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Company; this company is now known as Sompo Japan Insurance.

Yasuda's business focus primarily centered on finance; he was known as one of Japan's leading financiers. However, his industrial ventures were limited, mainly supporting loans to businesses associated with Asano Soichiro, founder of the Asano zaibatsu. Many of these industrial companies were actually initiated by Asano, and Yasuda's relationship was primarily financial, with the companies affiliated to Yasuda Zaibatsu rather than directly founded by Yasuda himself.

In addition to his business activities, Yasuda engaged in philanthropy. He donated the Yasuda Auditorium to the University of Tokyo and contributed to the construction of the Hibiya Kokaido hall. He owned substantial landholdings in Tokyo, which later became Yasuda Garden, Yasuda Gakuen, and Doai Memorial Hospital.

Yasuda Zenjirō was assassinated on September 28, 1921, by the nationalist lawyer Asahi Heigo. The motive was reportedly Yasuda's refusal to contribute financially to a workers' hotel project.

Yasuda's family connections include his daughter Teruko, through whom he is the maternal great-grandfather of artist and singer Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon. Yasuda's adopted son, Yasuda Zenzaburō, was the maternal grandfather of Yoko Ono. According to anecdotal accounts, John Lennon remarked upon seeing Yasuda's photograph for the first time, saying, "That's me in a former life," to which Ono replied, "Don't say that. He was assassinated." Lennon was murdered in 1980.