Early life

Shintaro Tsuji was born in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture,^[1] to a manageress of three ryokan.^[2] He was a student of a kindergarten affiliated with the Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin.^[3] As part of a wealthy family belonging to the Saegusa clan, Tsuji, as their first child, lived a life of luxury, yet he was secluded.^[2] When his mother died of leukemia,^[3] Tsuji was under the care of his abusive aunt.^[4] From 1945 to 1947, Tsuji studied chemical engineering at Kiryu Technical College (now a part of Gunma University); at that time, he also practiced manufacturing, and he would later take advantage of the post-World War II shortage situation in the country by creating goods for the black market - an act that formed the basis of his entrepreneurial career.^[5]

Government tenure

In 1949, Tsuji started working for the government of Yamanashi Prefecture, at the urging of his relatives.^[6] He first worked in a job Tsuji described as his "second adversity after his boyhood", before becoming a teacher, and later (under the request of Hisashi Amano, then-governor of Yamanashi Prefecture), a commerce worker.^[7] He would later leave the government in 1960, but not before being almost involved in a slander campaign against Amano's opponents.^[8]

As founder of Sanrio

On August 10, 1960, with ¥1,000,000 in capital,^{[lower-alpha 1]} Tsuji founded Yamanashi Silk Center, a textile company that would eventually become Sanrio.^[3][8] In 2020, Tsuji stepped down as president of Sanrio, and was succeeded by his grandson, Tomokuni.^[9]

Filmography (selected)

Bibliography

As a book author, he had written more than a dozen books, ranging from fairy tales to business.^[18]