During the new year holidays, I read Shinjiro Torii’s biography, ” Foundation of graceful in Whisky” (Hisashi Sugimori, Shincho Bunko).

In this book, there are a few things I found to be the key to family business prosperity and continuity.  I would like to pick them up and share with you.

 Torii was known for being very religious.  He had never forgot to thank Shintoism Gods and Buddha and there was a special department in the company that dealt with religious events.  As the episodes of Torii after the war, the book referred as follows

 ” Regarding GHQ… at the Shin-Osaka Hotel, (Shinjiro) immediately headed there to trade whiskey. That surprised everyone around him. Till then Shijiro had prayed for the country’s victory, stuck a rope to the bottles to be shipped to navy in Yamazaki factory, and said ” We should pray for soldiers for them not to hit by bullets!!” However, once the war has ended, going to the enemy to sell whisky seems to be a betrayer for Japan.

The other part tells as follows:

“Shinjiro started inviting and entertaining the Americans who get close to him, often to his home in Hibarigaoka. Shinjiro’s second son, Keizo Saji mentioned ” I was very much unhappy and complained why we had to do this.  He, despite of his intention, got intercepted by U.S. military tax officers due to such lavish entertainment, however the reputation of the U.S. military officers was conveyed from mouth to mouth. I feel my father’s generosity helped to build the high reputation of Suntory today.”

Also, in the scene of his eldest son’s death, the following episode was found.

“Shinjiro Torii, who seemed to have started in good business cycle again, suddenly occurred a tragedy. Just before the launch of Suntory Old, his eldest son, Kichitaro Torii, died suddenly on September 23.  Kichitaro was only 33 years old.  The disease was myocardial infarction due to cardiac asthma, but he passed away while doctors were identifying the decease.  “Japanese medicine is so poor…” Shinjiro Torii was very much angry about the medical industry at the funeral.  As to his wife Kuni and Kichitaro, current medicine probably could have saved both.  Following Kuni, Shinjiro was in deep grief, as suddenly lost his beloved Yoshitaro, who he regarded as his successor.  ”

What I think from those episodes is the clemency of Shinjiro.

I think being religious is very important.  I believe that Torii believed in Shinto and Buddha’s other powers because human beings can’t control everything and we have to benefit uncontrollable support from those “super natural” power.


Japan and foreign countries had to fight. Even though the era was pushing us to the war but this doesn’t necessarily mean that we must hate our enemies entire our lives.  Shinjiro may have been aware of it. Regardless of our people or not, even to our “former “enemies, we are happy to provide whatever we have. I found his mindset like this.

If we got obsessed with the idea “ How come we should help our enemy, that’s impossible !”, our position would always be a “victim”.

I went to Washington DC last October.  My friend runs a wine shop.  There was a Suntory whiskey on the front shelf.  It costs around 1200 USD per bottle and soon to be taken by Suntory fans there. This is Suntory’s reputation.  When I worked for a foreign company, I remember many colleagues saying “Suntory was a very good whisky”.  When I take foreigners to a distillery in Yamazaki, they often are surprised at the quality of their products.

120 years after Torii opened in 1899, Suntory became a world-renowned brand.  I think part of this secret of permanence and success is the “accumulated benefits” of the founder. In a war, you will certainly have to fight for Japan.  However, even under the war, he never held a grudge against his opponent, and I think his mindset was good evidence of his clemency. I think Torii lost his relatives, employees, and beloved ones in the war. But he did not grudge against the so-called enemy country.  The first thought was to supply their own whiskey and give it away.

I think this is the attitude to be rewarded over the long term.

Furthermore, when he lost his beloved son, he did not blame either the doctor, the hospital, or even someone around him. He hide all of his feelings under anger. Anger is said to have a second emotion behind it.  When you dig into why this event so irritates you, you can see the emotions behind your anger. You get angry because you are underestimated, looked down upon, or get ignored. ,Just simply ask yourself, why do you get so angry ?  By asking yourself, you will be able to see your own thoughts that have fallen into your subconscious.

Torii may have had so much sadness, loss, emptiness, and suffering that he could not express.  Still, he didn’t show them all out and hid them under anger.  It doesn’t seem like that. One wants to blame something to overcome unacceptable sadness. Then they try to put themselves in the victim’s position.

If you do so, you become a “damaged victim” who has been deprived of something.  The victim will then become unintentionally stealing something from others to fill in the missing or deprived. If you steal something from a person, it also means that you will also take something.  In this way, the negative spiral of “deprive / get deprived” begins.

But Torii did not hate anyone.  What he was angry about was Japanese medicine.  This may have facilitated the Suntory Foundation activities. Without being aware of the victim, there was no one to be taken, and also to retake from others to fill his emptiness.

I think this is the first reason why Suntory has continued for 120 years.
The founder had no sense of being a victim and had no resentment, gave available stuffs with clemency.  I think this is the secret of great success.