Fusajiro Yamauchi facts for kids

Fusajirō Yamauchi (山内 房治郎, Yamauchi Fusajirō, November 22, 1859 – January 1, 1940) was a Japanese businessman. He is famous for starting the company that later became Nintendo. He was born as Fusajirō Fukui (福井 房治郎, Fukui Fusajirō). Yamauchi lived in Kyoto, Japan with his wife and two daughters. One of his daughters, Tei Yamauchi, married Sekiryō Kaneda. Sekiryō later became the second president of Nintendo.

Fusajirō Yamauchi's Early Life

Fusajirō Fukui was born on November 22, 1859. His father, Sōsuke Fukui, was a skilled craftsperson. Fusajirō later joined the Yamauchi family. This happened through a special family arrangement. The Yamauchi family owned a company called Haigan. This company worked with lime, a material used in building.

The Yamauchi family needed someone to take over their business. Fusajirō was adopted by the Yamauchis and took their family name. He became the heir to his adoptive father, Naoshichi Yamauchi. In 1885, when he was 17, Fusajirō took charge of the company. He renamed it Haikyō.

Picture of the Haikyō main store, c. 1917. Barrels of cement are visible on the left.

Founding Nintendo: A New Card Game Business

In 1885, rules about card games in Japan changed. Hanafuda cards, which were once not allowed, became legal. Fusajirō was already running other businesses in Kyoto. He loved playing Hanafuda cards himself. He also saw that these cards were becoming very popular.

Fusajirō decided to use his skills to make Hanafuda cards. On September 23, 1889, he opened his own company. It was called Yamauchi Fusajirō Shōten, also known as Yamauchi Nintendo. He set up his business in a house he bought. Fusajirō crafted the Hanafuda decks using mulberry bark, clay, and a special wood-block printing machine.

Nintendo's Hanafuda decks were called "Daitōryō" (President) decks. They had a picture of Napoleon on them. These cards quickly became very popular in Kyoto.

Nintendo's first headquarters in 1889

Expanding Card Offerings

In 1890, Nintendo started selling other types of cards. They began making Uta-garuta decks. However, Nintendo soon faced challenges. There was a lot of competition. The market for cards in their area was also getting smaller.

Fusajirō had a clever idea. He took Hanafuda cards that were not perfect. He repackaged them into new, cheaper decks called "Tengu" cards. These were sold at a lower price than the Daitōryō decks. Fusajirō also decided to sell cards to special clubhouses. These places needed new decks often to ensure fair play. Fusajirō made deals with about 70 clubhouses. Each clubhouse used many decks every night.

Nintendo and Western Playing Cards

Around the same time Hanafuda cards became legal, so did Western playing cards. These are the Standard 52-card decks we know today. Japanese people often called them "Trump" cards. They became very popular starting in 1886.

Fusajirō noticed that wealthy people bought these cards. They were expensive because they had to be imported. He realized it would be better to make his own Western cards in Japan. This would make them more affordable.

Nintendo's website says that Mr. Yamauchi started making the first Western-style playing cards in Japan in 1902. This was a very good decision for Nintendo. Around that time, the government added a new tax on card makers. This tax, called "Koppai Zei," made Hanafuda decks much more expensive. Many card companies had to close down. However, Nintendo survived because they were also selling their own Japanese-made Western cards. They were the only company doing this at the time.

Spreading Cards Across Japan

At first, Nintendo's cards were mostly sold in the Osaka and Kyoto areas. Fusajirō wanted to sell his cards all over Japan. This was a big idea because, back then, only a few products like tobacco had such wide distribution.

In 1907, Fusajirō made a deal with a company called Nihon Senbai . This company is now known as Japan Tobacco. Through this partnership, Nintendo cards were sold in cigarette shops across the entire country. By 1929, when Fusajirō retired, Nintendo had grown a lot. It became the biggest playing-card company in Japan.

Family and Successors

Fusajirō did not have a son to take over his businesses. So, in 1905, he arranged for his daughter, Tei, to marry Sekiryō Kaneda. Sekiryō was an employee who had started working at Nintendo years earlier.

For many years, Sekiryō helped lead both Nintendo and the Haikyō company with Fusajirō. In 1929, Fusajirō retired. Sekiryō Yamauchi then took over both companies.

See also

In Spanish: Fusajirō Yamauchi para niños