Yuteki Hayashi, Doctor of Western Learning

Yuteki Hayashi was born in 1837 as the son of a doctor in Sasaga Village, Mino Province (presently Sasaga, Miyama-cho, Yamagata-gun, Gifu Prefecture). He studied medicine and Dutch sciences to follow in his father's footsteps and became a medical doctor. Yuteki left for Edo (presently Tokyo) in 1859 to study advanced medical science after practicing medicine in his hometown. He later entered a school named Keio Gijuku, presided over by Yukichi Fukuzawa (a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur, journalist, and leader). Yuteki had a reputation as a first-rate doctor in Edo. However, under the teachings of Yukichi Fukuzawa, he decided to devote himself to commerce, in which he had no experience and founded Maruya Trading Company on January 1, 1869. The sales products handled mainly were imported foreign books, medicines, and medical equipment to advance education and medicine, which were lagging at the time.

In 1869, when Yuteki Hayashi decided to open a bookstore in Yokohama, however, he could not come up a good name, so he consulted his teacher, Yukichi Fukuzawa, who suggested the name Maruya (lit. Globe Store), after the sphere of the Earth, because he was engaged in business with the rest of the world, including importing Western books. However, this name was easily misread, and some people called it differently, so Yuteki applied a different kanji character. The owner's name was Zenpachi Maruya, a fictitious character named after Zenroku Takaori, a village headman who encouraged Yuteki just before Yuteki came to Tokyo from his hometown. It was a long-standing custom to name a store after the person responsible for the business (i.e., Maruya Zenpachi). The name Maruya Zenpachi was eventually abbreviated to Maruzen. In March 1880, Maruya Trading Company was reorganized into Japan's first stock organization and renamed Maruzen Trading Limited.

Isohachi Suga was born in 1838 in Takaboko Village, Echizen Province (presently Funayori, Maruoka-cho, Sakai-gun, Fukui Prefecture). He was the second son of the Yanagihara family, a former samurai clan, to Gon'emon and Haru Yanagihara, his father and mother. In the spring of 1853, Isohachi, who was then 16, left for Edo (now Tokyo) to make a name for himself amidst the drastic changes in the times. In 1869, he was adopted by the Suga family as an heir, although the details of the last 15 years until 1868 are unknown. Isohachi's talent was recognized, and through a friend's introduction, he joined Maruzen Trading Limited, run by President Yuteki Hayashi, in 1871. He was first in charge of the imported miscellaneous goods store in Tokyo but was transferred to Osaka in 1877 under the special orders from the president and took charge of Osaka Pharmacy. In 1885, he was appointed manager and director of Maruzen Trading Limited, and later in 1893, when the company was reborn as Maruzen Co., Ltd., he was appointed director.
Subsequently, at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on March 28, 1895, a resolution was passed to transfer Osaka Pharmacy to Isohachi Suga. Osaka Pharmacy, which had developed as one of the divisions of Maruya Trading Company, Maruzen Trading Limited, and Maruzen Co., Ltd., founded by early Meiji entrepreneur Yuteki Hayashi, became independent as Maruzen Pharmacy.

The founder, Isohachi Suga, came to Tokyo alone in 1853 from Takamura, Echizen Province (currently Maruoka-cho, Fukui Prefecture) with dreams of success, and he had a strong sense of nostalgia. There were days when Isohachi wondered how he could give back to his hometown after he succeeded in running his pharmacy. He started to donate to the village's Takagura Elementary School in 1921 and continued donating to the school. Isohachi's son, Saburo Yanagihara, the second president, followed in his father's footsteps by establishing the Yanagihara Scholarship Fund at the school. In 1978, a bust was erected in honor of his legacy.
President Ryohei Yanagihara, President Ryoichi Yanagihara, and President Daisuke Yanagihara continued Isohachi's legacy. They have contributed to the development of the youth of Fukui Prefecture, the founder's hometown, and donated televisions, organs, pianos, playground equipment, and many other items. Every year, a commemorative gift (the Yanagihara Prize) is presented to each graduate. Thus the founder Isohachi's legacy has been contributing to the development of the youth of Fukui Prefecture, the founder's hometown.