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The oldest company in the world
Kongogumi was founded in 578 and it’s considered as the oldest company that has been always active since the beginning. I’m sure the people who founded this company did not write a business plan, or maybe they did and they wrote that they needed website. Right now they have a cool website, but they continue doing exactly what they started doing more than 1.000 years ago, they build temples, shrines and castles. For example, they built the Osaka castle.
The company was founded buy the Kongo family, and until the year 2006 it was still controlled by the Kongo family descendants. In 2006 they had some difficulties and they were adquired by Takamatsu corporation. Nowadays, it survives as a company inside the corporation.
The first temple built by Kongogumi is the Shitennō-ji, and you can visit it here (Walking distance Tennoji station in Osaka).
There are many temples built by Kongogumi in Takao.
I wonder which companies that we are used to nowadays will be still alife in 1.000 or 2.000 years. Construction? Energy? Telecommunications? Porn? Health? Spam?
 | Go - 囲碁 |  | The Temple of the Golden Pavilion |
 | Katana |  | Awa Odori |
More about Japanese sex clubs...
Comments
Kenny
14 April, 2008
I’m guessing it’ll be a telecoms company.
Jon
14 April, 2008
Porn.
kirai
14 April, 2008
lol, I thought you were a spammer
Jamaipanese
15 April, 2008
neat info, I blogged this!
http://www.jamaipanese.com/index.php?itemid=624
LORAS
21 April, 2008
ONE OR the oldest (*) EXISTING company is not referred in your site (all the descendants are known and verified which is not the case for japanese 1.400 years old’comlpany).
GRAINES LORAS has been founded in 1440. It keeps a familiar independant company.
Link for more information
http://www.grainesloras.com/ISF/ISFAINTRO.htm
I remain.
Yours sincerily
M. Olivier LORAS
(*) The oldest company in the world, which was founded in 578 in Japan by a group of people from the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje, will go into liquidation in January. Kongo Gumi dates its foundation from the year when carpenter Shigemitsu Kongo built Shitennoji. Kongo had been invited to the island country by Prince Shotoku. His descendants continuously maintained the family business, and the construction firm was named the world¡¯s oldest company by the Economist monthly.
hm.....
09 May, 2008
whoooaaaa……that is too cool. a company like 1400 years old??!!