ITOCHU Group Corporate Mission Sampo-yoshi:
Past, Present, and Future

The Sampo-yoshi Tradition and Its Origin

■ ITOCHU Founder Chubei Itoh’s Words and the Origins of Sampo-yoshi

■ Making Sampo-yoshi Our Corporate Mission

The Ohmi Merchants’ Approach to Business

The traveling merchants of Ohmi (present-day Shiga Prefecture) set out from their home province to develop business in new lands by building trust with their customers and contributing to local economies.

ITOCHU’s founder, Chubei Itoh I, was one such merchant. Chubei took pride in being an Ohmi merchant, whose business was grounded in trust and credibility.

The Ohmi Merchants’ Approach to Trade

Travel to other regions with product samples, invoicing after delivery of products
Emphasis not only on immediate profit but building long-term trust
Humility and fair business practices

Outward-facing, Entrepreneurial Spirit

Business based on local needs in regions visited
　
Results for both customers and regional economies
Different start from trading companies centered in major cities

Chubei’s Motto

“Trade is a compassionate business.
It is noble when it accords with the spirit of Buddha by profiting those who sell and those who buy and supplying the needs of society.”

The phrase Sampo-yoshi (good for the seller, good for the buyer, and good for society) developed in later years as a concise way to express the business philosophy of the Ohmi merchants.

Its roots trace to Chubei’s personal motto, which reflected his respect for the Ohmi merchants who preceded him.

At ITOCHU, the spirit of Sampo-yoshi based on Chubei’s words has been passed down for more than 160 years, as we have accumulated trust and credibility while expanding into new business frontiers.

Returning to Our Roots

The spirit of Sampo-yoshi has underpinned ITOCHU since our founding in 1858. In 1992, we established “Committed to the Global Good” as our corporate mission, in line with our Sampo-yoshi roots. In 2020, amidst a rapidly changing management environment and expectations for further evolution and growth, we decided to return to our business roots and re-commit ourselves to Sampo-yoshi by declaring it to be ITOCHU Group’s corporate mission.

Universality of the ITOCHU Approach

Regardless of the time or place, the corporate mission is an enduring, universal value that employees can turn to in times of difficulty. Sampo-yoshi reflects a simple, concise, and identifiable ITOCHU approach. Its designation as our corporate mission also reflects our strong commitment to upholding the spirit of Sampo-yoshi and our founder going forward.