Fusajiro

Fusajiro Yamauchi was a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Nintendo. In 1889 he established Nintendo Koppai in Kyoto, producing and selling handmade Hanafuda playing cards. The company started as a small workshop supplying local merchants and remained a family-run business for many years.

Under Fusajiro's direction, Nintendo maintained a focus on quality craftsmanship, developing a strong domestic market for cards. Over time, the enterprise expanded its distribution beyond Kyoto and adapted to changing market conditions, eventually broadening into other products and entertainment formats through subsequent generations. The firm remained under Yamauchi family control for decades, with later leaders expanding into different lines and eventually transforming Nintendo into a multinational entertainment corporation. Fusajiro's founding of Nintendo is regarded as a foundational moment in the company's history, setting a trajectory from traditional cards to modern interactive entertainment.