Japanese
About the Founder
A Bridge in the Japan U.S. Petroleum Industry
and 10,000 Rounds of Golf
Shunkichi Nomura, the founder of Nomura Jimusho, was born in Tokyo in 1889 as the eldest son of Ryutaro Nomura, who served as Vice President of the Railway Bureau (later the Ministry of Railways), Director of the Transport Bureau, and President of the South Manchuria Railway Company, Ltd. Ryutaro Nomura was known as a pioneer in Japan's railway industry.
After graduating from Kobe Higher Commercial School (now Kobe University) in 1911, Shunkichi joined Mitsui & Co. in 1913 and worked at their New York branch. During this period, he established friendships with notable figures such as Thomas Edison and Isoroku Yamamoto, who was a naval commander and later became an Admiral in the Japanese Navy. Nomura also developed a passion for golf and began to expand his activities in the sport. After returning to Japan, he resigned from Mitsui & Co. in 1922 and, at the request of his wife's relative, Kojiro Matsukata, engaged in oil-field development in Texas, USA. In 1925, he was scouted by Mitsubishi Corporation, which was planning to enter the oil industry, and was appointed manager of their Seattle branch. He negotiated the merger with the Associated Oil Company, and in 1931, became the first managing director of Mitsubishi Oil, a precursor to ENEOS. In 1933, he resigned from Mitsubishi Corporation and, together with Isamu Iwamoto, who also resigned from the same company, established Nomura Jimusho, a trading company specializing in petroleum imports, in Room 825 of the Marunouchi Building.
After the end of World War II, Shunkichi Nomura was involved in reopening petroleum refining facilities on the Pacific coast, serving as a bridge between Japanese oil companies and the General Headquarters (GHQ). Additionally, at the request of Ichiro Hatoyama (Prime Minister during the 52nd to 54th Cabinets), he succeeded in bringing Shigeru Yoshida (Prime Minister during the 45th, and 48th to 51st Cabinets) back into the political arena, contributing to the establishment of Yoshida's first cabinet in 1946.
Shunkichi Nomura was also known as an "international person of golf," contributing significantly to the development of modern Japanese golf. He won the Japan Amateur Golf Championship in 1927, founded the Kanto Golf Association in 1935, and after the war, served as chairman of the Tokyo Golf Club in 1948, rebuilding the Kanto Golf Association and reviving the Japan Golf Association (JGA). In 1957, he played a key role in hosting the Canada Cup at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, laying the foundation for Japan's golf boom. The "Nomura Cup," the largest official amateur team championship held in the Asia-Pacific region, is named in honor of his contributions to the golf world.
The dual nature of Shunkichi Nomura's “responsibility” as a businessperson and his “challenges” in leveraging his personal connections remains a philosophy that is still cherished by Nomura Jimusho to this day.
