Founder Stories
Founder Stories
The Life of Gonshiro Kubota
A vow made as a young boy to become a Western-style blacksmith
Birth on Innoshima in the Seto Inland Sea
On October 3rd, 1870, the founder of Kubota, Mr. Gonshiro Ohde (later to become Gonshiro Kubota), was born in Ohama Village, on Innoshima in the Seto Inland sea.
This area is currently Ohama Town, Innoshima, which is part of Hiroshima Prefecture’s Onomichi City. His father’s name was Iwataro and his mother’s was Kiyo. He was the youngest child in the family, and the third son, behind the oldest son Seitaro, his sister Sakuno and the second son, Mohei.
At the time, Ohama Village was a peaceful village with just over 1,200 people in 240 households living along the coastline. The Ohde family were farmers who had a side-business doing woodwork.
Gonshiro was a short and thin young boy, and it seems that he didn’t often go to the village’s elementary school, which was run in the grounds of the main temple building. However, it is said that he would do things properly, with attention to detail, and was persistent and intelligent. The background to the young boy’s decision to leave his birthplace and head alone for Osaka was the reform of the taxation system that was happening at the time.
A vow made in the midst of poverty
Ohama Village was by no means a poor community at the time of Gonshiro’s birth. Nearly all of the houses had a strong and firm appearance with tiled roofs and the scenery was even reminiscent of a castle town. Gonshiro’s family could not be described as wealthy, but they had everything they needed, and the couple and their four children lived happily.
However, as the system of paying taxes in cash spread to the regions and replaced the previous (Edo period) system of paying land taxes in rice, the family’s financial situation suddenly worsened considerably, and almost daily Gonshiro’s parents expressed their grief at the difficulty of their livelihood. This was when Gonshiro was 7 or 8 years old. As he saw the laughter disappear from his house, he vowed to himself that he would make a success of his life and pull them out of poverty, to act as a good son to his parents, and to bring the laughter back again.
A dream of steam boats
From time to time, Gonshiro would climb to the top of a local hill and look out at the sea. Large boats carrying cargo travelled to and fro out in the water, and it was the time when the occasional steam boat could be seen mixed among the sailing boats. That scene determined Gonshiro’s future. He didn’t want to become a sailor though. Rather, he decided he wanted to become a blacksmith. He wanted to become a Western-style blacksmith and make the machinery that was moving those boats.
What did he need to do to become a blacksmith? His only option was to go to Osaka and become an apprentice. Gonshiro therefore told his parents of his thoughts, but they would not allow it. They couldn’t bring themselves to send their young child out to work. In the end, Gonshiro sneaked onto a boat and worked in the kitchen or drawing water as he headed for Osaka. It was only after Gonshiro was on the boat that his parents knew what happened.
It was only after Gonshiro was on the boat that his parents knew what happened.
Words of the founder
Health is paramount, and without it, one cannot succeed. Whether you aspire to manage a company on your own, or work elsewhere, as long as you are healthy and work with tenacity, you will succeed. Indeed, such qualities will be treasured.
Health was key to Gonshiro’s way of thinking as well as his enthusiasm for work. No matter how outstanding one’s talents may be, they are meaningless if not utilized. Making use of such talent, however, is no easy task. Here Gonshiro explains how staying healthy is key to effectively demonstrating one’s talents. He also believed that one could improve one’s health by taking a keen interest in the work at hand. He maintained that work and health could complement one another, and even held a lecture entitled “Enjoying work is the foundation for better health and enhanced efficiency.”
Entrepreneur Story Top Play