Kawamura Zuiken

• Born: 1617
• Died: 1699
• Japanese: 河村瑞賢 (Kawamura Zuiken)

Kawamura Zuiken was an Edo period timber merchant who rose to samurai status.

Originally a mere courier, he amassed a fortune through dealings in timber futures following the Meireki Fire of 1657. He also became involved in public works projects including canals and flood control. Kawamura was later made a hatamoto with 150 hyô.

References

• Joyce Ackroyd, Told Round a Brushwood Fire, Princeton University Press (1979), 283n78.