| Morishita Hiroshi was the founder of Morishita Jintan, an [[Osaka]]-based corporation specializing in healthcare products. | | Morishita Hiroshi was the founder of Morishita Jintan, an [[Osaka]]-based corporation specializing in healthcare products. |
− | Morishita was born in [[1869]] in [[Tomonoura]], a small port-town in [[Fukuyama domain]]. When Morishita was still young, his father resigned his position as priest of the local Nunakuma Shrine; Morishita then became an apprentice at a [[tobacco]] shop, and later at a textiles shop. In [[1893]], he opened his own business, Morishita Nan'yôdô. In [[1900]], he launched a wide-ranging campaign to sell syphilis medication. In [[1905]], he began selling the pocket medication ''jintan'', which would become a bestselling product. He eventually came to be known as ''kôkoku no ô'', or "King of Advertising." | + | Morishita was born in [[1869]] in [[Tomonoura]], a small port-town in [[Fukuyama han|Fukuyama domain]]. When Morishita was still young, his father resigned his position as priest of the local Nunakuma Shrine; Morishita then became an apprentice at a [[tobacco]] shop, and later at a textiles shop. In [[1893]], he opened his own business, Morishita Nan'yôdô. In [[1900]], he launched a wide-ranging campaign to sell syphilis medication. In [[1905]], he began selling the pocket medication ''jintan'', which would become a bestselling product. He eventually came to be known as ''kôkoku no ô'', or "King of Advertising." |
| Growing quite successful, he came to make sizable donations of funds to help support his hometown, Tomonoura. These included scholarships for students, funds for construction of new buildings, funds for tourism initiatives and for repairs and maintenance of temples and shrines, as well as for railroad links. | | Growing quite successful, he came to make sizable donations of funds to help support his hometown, Tomonoura. These included scholarships for students, funds for construction of new buildings, funds for tourism initiatives and for repairs and maintenance of temples and shrines, as well as for railroad links. |