For 1,400 years, Kongo Gumi was a successful Japanese company involved with the construction of spectacular Buddhist temples. Until its fall in 2006, it was the world’s oldest continuously operating family business, surviving 14 centuries of political upheavals, economic crises, and world wars. But not even Kongo Gumi could survive Japan’s economic downtown nearly a decade ago.
The Beginning—An Invitation From a Prince
A 10-foot-long 17th-century scroll traces 40 generations of the Kongo family back to the company’s start in 578 A.D., when Shigemitsu Kongo, a skilled carpenter, along with two other master craftsmen, were invited from Baekje in the Korean peninsula to build Japan’s first Buddhist temple at Shitenno-ji.
The invitation came from Prince Shotoku, a regent and politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. Prince Shotoku is known for having been an ardent Buddhist who contributed to the spread of Buddhism throughout Japan.
