Ichizō Kobayashi

, occasionally referred to by his pseudonym , was a Japanese industrialist and politician. He is best known as the founder of Hankyu Railway, the Takarazuka Revue, and Toho. He served as Minister of Commerce and Industry between 1940 and 1941.

Life Ichizō Kobayashi was born in Kawarabe village, Koma, Yamanashi Prefecture (present-day Nirasaki, Yamanashi) on January 3, 1873, to a wealthy merchant family known by the trade name "Nunoya". His mother died shortly after his birth and his father left the family, leaving Kobayashi under the care of his uncle's family. His father later remarried, was adopted into his new wife's family, and produced Kobayashi's half-brothers, Shichiroku and Munehide, who would go on to become a member of the National Diet and Japanese boxing commissioner respectfully.

He was named Ichizō, meaning "one-three", because of his birthday, January 3. Such a business model established by Kobayashi was followed by other railway companies in Japan. He was named to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.

While he demonstrated expertise in railway management, he lacked understanding of subway systems.

He staunchly opposed Hajime Seki (Mayor of Osaka), who advanced the subway project as part of Osaka City's transportation plan, arguing, "If you build subways in earthquake-prone Japan, it will tarnish your name, Mr. Seki." He also claimed, "The railway business in Osaka City will inevitably go bankrupt," and expressed concerns that "the construction will become a relic of the Showa era, an anachronistic example." In the end, his prediction was proven wrong, and the Osaka Metro became an indispensable part of Osaka City's transportation system.

Additionally, when extending his company's Kobe Line to Sannomiya, he insisted on an elevated line, in contrast to Hanshin Electric Railway, which opted for an underground route. As a result, he drew criticism from the city of Kobe, causing a 15-year delay in extending the line into the city center.

Later, Kobayashi was president of council of (Tokyo Gas Electric Engineering Company). He was appointed in charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the 1940 Konoe Cabinet.

After the end of World War II, he was appointed minister of state in the Shidehara cabinet and became president of the , but he was soon purged due to his prewar political career. The purge was lifted in 1951.

Another diplomatic commission was then led by Kenkichi Yoshizawa.

Family tree