Toyama Shuzo (外山脩造)
Shuzo TOYAMA (November 10, 1842-January 13, 1916) was the businessman and the statesman who was from Nagaoka City (the former Tochio City), Niigata Prefecture in the Meiji period.
Shuzo who was born as the child of Den TOYAMA, the village officer went to Tokyo at the age of 17 to study under Hachiro KIYOKAWA and Toin SHIONOYA and joined Shoheizaka Gakumonjo (Shoheizaka School). He fought in Nagaoka under Tsugunosuke KAWAI in the unquiet days of the Restoration and determined to live as a merchant following KAWAI's instruction before his death.
After entering Keio Gijuku in 1869 and Kaisei school in 1871, Shuzo served in Akita Prefecture in 1872 and joined Bank Department of Okura-sho (Ministry of the Treasury) the next year to make an effort to establish the national bank.
He worked on the contents of the business as a general office director of the thirty-second national bank in Osaka mediated by Eiichi SHIBUSAWA in 1878 and became the leader in the bank field in Osaka by serving as a manager of Bank of Japan, Osaka Branch for three years since 1882.
Shuzo, who attended to inspect the economic institutions in Europe and the U.S. from 1887 to 1888 reaffirmed the importance of the credit research company and established the commercial agency in Osaka to become its representative.
He was dedicated to establishing many companies in Kansai region by assuming the vice-president of Osaka Chochiku Bank before that, the member of House of Representatives in 1892, the president of Naniwa Bank and the president of Osaka Seimikogyo in 1898, the president of Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. in 1899 and more, and was active in leading the financial world in Kansai region as the chairman of the committee of Osaka Bank.