Takeda Chobei | Letter

At thirteen he worked alongside store clerks arranging and packing medicinal products. Two decades later, he assumed the role of the 5th generation Takeda Chobei and took charge of his family's pharmaceutical enterprise. Under his leadership, the company underwent a transformation from a traditional Japanese and Chinese medicinal herb merchant to a modern Western-style pharmaceutical industry. His guiding principle was this: "Patient before profit". In 1943 he retired and handed the company over to his eldest son.
 
Takeda Chobei (1870-1959)
Letter, ink on paper
21 x 30 cm (8¼ x 11¾ cm)
Wooden box with inscription (date: December 13, 1960)