Nakata Kinkichi (中田錦吉)
Kinkichi NAKATA (January 6, 1865 - February 20, 1926) was the fourth chief director of Sumitomo.
He was born in Odate, Dewa Province (currently Akita Prefecture). He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1890. He was appointed as a judge of Yokohama District Court. After working as a judge of Tokyo Appellate Court, a department director of Yokohama District Court, an office manager of Mito District Court and a department director of Tokyo Appellate Court, he joined Sumitomo with help from Masaya SUZUKI in 1902 and became the manager of Besshi Mining Company in 1902. When he became a director of the head office in 1903, he went on a business trip to Europe and America to learn about commerce in 1909 and began working concurrently as a bank manager in 1910. When the bank was reorganized into a joint-stock company, he worked concurrently as a managing director which was considered as the head of the organization.
He was appointed as the director of Casting Company (later known as Sumitomo Metal) in 1915, Osaka Hokko (later known as Sumitomo Tochi Komu) in 1919 and Electric Wiring (later known as Sumitomo Electric Industries) NEC Cooperation in 1920. In 1922, he became the chief manager of Sumitomo, Ltd. after Masaya SUZUKI retired. After purchasing a coal mine in Hokkaido (1924), he established Sumitomo Coal Mining (later known as Sumitomo Coal Mining Co., Ltd.) in 1925. In the same year, the land of Sumitomo Copper and Brass in Ajigawa (later known as Sumitomo Metal) and Sumitomo Warehouse 89,100 sq.m. were offered to Osaka city due to the foundation of the public market. In April, the stores which handled Sumitomo products (later known as Sumitomo Corporation) were established in Kobe and Nagoya, and the reorganization of Sumitomo Fertilizer Manufacturing (later known as Sumitomo Chemicals Co., Ltd.) into a joint-stock company as well as the purchase of Hinode Life Insurance Company (later known as Sumitomo Life Insurance Company) took place in June. He founded Sumitomo Trust and Banking in July and worked concurrently as a director of Sumitomo Bank, O.S.K. Lines, Sumitomo Wearehosue, NEC Coporation and Toa Kogyo.