Kaientai

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title: "Kaientai" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["nagasaki", "1860s-establishments-in-japan", "meiji-restoration", "naval-history-of-japan", "shipping-companies-of-japan", "defunct-companies-of-japan"] description: "Japanese trading and shipping company and private navy" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaientai" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Japanese trading and shipping company and private navy ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Kaientai_Flag.svg" caption="Flag of Kaientai"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Kameyama-company01.jpg" caption="Kameyama Shachū Memorial Museum"] ::

The Kaientai was a trading and shipping company and private navy, considered to be the first corporation in modern Japan.

Kaientai, originally named Kameyama Shachū (亀山社中, "Kameyama Troupe"), was founded by Sakamoto Ryōma in Nagasaki in 1865 during the Bakumatsu, and it was initially funded by the Satsuma Domain and other groups and domains.

The logo of SoftBank Group is based on the idea of a "21st century Kaientai".

Members of Kaientai

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Kaientai.jpg" caption="Kaientai members, around January 1867. From left: Nagaoka Kenkichi, Mizobuchi Hironojō, Sakamoto Ryōma, Yamamoto Kōdō, Sugano Kakubei, Shiramine Shunme."] ::

Born in Tosa Domain

• Sakamoto Ryōma – Commander and founder
• Sasaki Takayuki – A second commanding officer of Kaientai after Ryōma's assassination. Would go on to become a privy councilor, cabinet minister and confidant of Emperor Meiji
• Nakaoka Shintarō
• Iwasaki Yatarou – Would go on to found Mitsubishi in 1870
• Sawamura Sōnojho
• Nagaoka Ken'ichi
• Ishida Eikichi
• Sakamoto Nao – Ryōma's adopted child
• Sugano Kakubei
• Jingū Umanosuke
• Nomura Koreaki

Born in Kishū Domain

• Mutsu Munemitsu – Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1892 – 1896

Born in Echizen Province

• Seki Yoshiomi
• Watanabe Gōhachi
• Odani Kōzō

References

References

1. "Origin of Brand Name and Logo". SoftBank Group Corp..

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::