老舗企業と地元企業との相互依存関係について
—— 老舗宮大工企業を中心に ——

抄録

In this paper, we focus on the following four traditional carpentry companies: Kongo, Takenaka, Daihiko and Matsui. Kongo was founded in 578, about 1,400 years ago. The first leader of the Kongo company was Shigemitsu Kongo from a part of modern day Korea called Baekje. Three carpenters from Baekje, Hayami, Nagamichi and Kongo, were invited in 578 by Prince Shotoku to Japan to build temples. They greatly influenced building construction in Japan. Takenaka, Daihiko and Matsui were respectively founded in 1610, 1704 and 1586, and they are all still doing good business today.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the interdependence between regional economies and long-standing companies in Japan, and through case studies, identify factors that contribute to the continuous growth of long-standing companies. The regional economic growth and function of Miyadaiku (traditional temple carpentry) is discussed. The relationship between a regional economy and managerial behavior is also discussed with focus on the companies of Kongo, Takenaka, Daihiko and Matsui as good examples of Miyadaiku. We will elucidate their long-term relationships with customers, which have made the passing down of carpentry expertise very smooth for many generations.
Each of the four companies mentioned above has revitalized regional economies and contributed to their regions by supporting local industries and providing employment, as well as maintaining local shrines and temples. Business actions based on region-customer relationships are the largest contributing factor to their long existence. These findings suggest the need for further consideration of glocalization. A balance between the global market economy and local/regional economies should be carefully examined. A more detailed analysis of European long-standing firms such as Freiherr von Pschinger, Barovier & Toso, and Beretta will be left for future research.

JFL Classification: M14, N85