The Brothers

Yasujiro Tsutsumi and his sister Fusako were abandoned by their mother when Yasujiro was only four years old. Left with his grandfather in Yagiso, a farming village. The story surrounding his mother’s departure only emerged twenty years after Yasujiro’s death.

Yasujiro was devoted to his grandfather, who took it upon himself to teach Yasujiro the ways of farming. However, Yasujiro was a good student and was offered a place in middle school. Despite his academic capabilities Yasujiro was rather undisciplined! Fearful Yasujiro would get into more trouble on his own, his grandfather refused to let him continue his studies until he was much older.

In the meantime, Yasujiro chose not to waste his schooling. He recognized the limitations farmers were bound by and read all he could on agriculture. Armed with knowledge, he set off on his first business venture.

In a Japan caught in the midst of uprising, changes and opportunities, Yasujiro did what he felt would survive any economic impact … he bought land. For this he needed money … remortgaging his family land, he turned Y5,000 into Y60,000 within half a year …

And so begins the empire of Yasujiro Tsutsumi … along with his promiscuous nature, Yasujiro fathered several children through wives and mistresses. Despite this, Yasujiro’s focus was entirely on growing his empire both before and during World War II.

On his death, Yasujiro’s illegitimate son, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, inherited the lion’s share of his father’s estate. Desperate to continue in his father’s footsteps, Yoshiaki turned the family business into a multi-million dollar empire.

However, Seiji Tsutsumi, Yasujiro’s legitimate son only inherited a small department store. Seiji was determined to apply his own business skills and soon a chain of department stores, Seibu, was born. Factoring the materialistic needs of the Japanese people, Seiji’s empire also grew … competing with Yoshiaki’s empire …

The Tsutsumi’s opportunistic nature led to their becoming one of the most richest and powerful families in the world, through Japan’s ups and downs, family issues, mistresses and wives, children, recession and war. ‘The Brothers’ tells the story of one of the notorious families in Japan.

‘The Brothers traces in vivid and entertaining detail the tale of two generations of Tsutsumis … Downer’s book is well worth reading for the insight it gives into the kind of business empires that are currently consolidating their resources, quietly readying themselves for fresh advances into the world economy. It is also an absorbing tale of our times, entertainingly told and highly relevant.’ - The Times

‘In the faceless world of Japanese business, stories about the non-conformist Tsutsumi family abound, nourished by a canny blend of secrecy and self-exposure. But elsewhere most people know nothing about them, and Lesley Downer’s light-footed recounting of their story is very welcome. She manages an attractive balance between the general history of the period and the domestic details of this sprawling, stylish and terrifyingly ambitious family.’ - Independent on Sunday

‘One of the most remarkable stories around.’ - Sunday Telegraph

Lesley Downer went to Japan in 1978 and has been studying and writing about its people and culture ever since. Her books include On the Narrow Road to the Deep North, which was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book of the Year 1990 and made into a Channel 4 television documentary. She has also written on Japanese cooking and presented the series A Taste of Japan on BBC2. She writes on Japan for a variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, the Independent, the Financial Times and the Sunday Telegraph. She lives in London and Tokyo. The Brothers was named as one of The New York Times ‘Books of the Year’ 1995.

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