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71006-0006 - Motomachi Itchome, Kobe, 1910s

Kobe 1910s
Motomachi Itchome

Artist	Unknown
Publisher	Unknown
Medium	Postcard
Period	Meiji
Location	Kobe
Image No.	71006-0006
Purchase	Digital File
Author	Kjeld Duits

Shops and rickshaws at Motomachi Itchome in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture Japan.

The shop with the elephant is Zouki. It was established in 1875 (Meiji 8) by Kihei Sodeoka. Sodeoka was a ronin, a former samurai, from Satsuma.

Sodeoka left Satsuma and started an ivory business in Kyoto. His shop in Kyoto burned down in 1868 (Meiji 1) during the Boshin War (1868-1869) and he eventually moved to Kobe where he started a new business.

The name of his shop was derived from the Japanese word for ivory (zouge) and his first name (Kihei).¹

Besides selling ivory, Zouki also sold import goods and was among the first distributors of the Asahi Shimbun when it was launched in 1879 (Meiji 12). Newspapers at this time were not delivered to subscribers, but sold in stores.

As a shop of import goods, Zouki played an important role in Kobe. It was for example the first shop to sell bicycles in this town.

Being a former samurai, Sodeoka appears to not have been really cut out to be a businessman. Samurai were proud people and Sodeoka was no exception. It is said that when customers asked for a discount, he would angrily tell them to leave his shop.

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Notes

¹ Yasui, Yujiro (2007). Shiru Chikara: Kobe Motomachidori de yomu no sho. Ashiya: Japan Memory, 37, 171, 174. ISBN 978-4-8354-8080-0

Published March 4, 2008
Updated December 10, 2021 11:19 PM

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Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.

To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.

I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.

Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.

Thank you,
Kjeld Duits

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Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (December 10, 2021). Kobe 1910s: Motomachi Itchome, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on February 22, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/59/motomachi-itchome

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Kobe 1910sMotomachi Itchome