Tsurumi Shinpei
| Birth Place | Handa-cho, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu-shi |
|---|---|
| Birth | 1848 |
| Death | 1914 |
| Period | July 1, 1911 - December 19, 1911 |
Overview
Tsurumi Shinpei was the first mayor of Hamamatsu.
Biography
On October 10, 1848, Tsurumi Shinpei was born as the second son of a Sugimura family in what now is Handa-cho, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu. Later, he was adopted by the Tsurumi family who ran an old established hotel, Oogomeya.
He contributed to the economy of the city through various aspects such as establishing Hamamatsu Chochiku Ginko (saving bank), leading Hamamatsu Shogyo Kaigijo (present Hamamatsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry) as the first president of the association since 1893, directing the Hamamatsu Rice Exchange, and holding a membership of Hamamatsu Shinyo Kumiai (credit union).
As Hamamatsu Town was established in 1889, he became a councilor of its council and later served as the mayor of the town since 1905.In 1906, he succeeded in inviting a train factory in the town (present JR Tokai Hamamatsu Factory). This helped the town to later shift from light industry to heavy industry.
The town became a city in 1911.Accordingly, Tsurumi Shinpei became the mayor of the city.He was soon taken by illness after he retired. On January 22, 1914, he passed away at the age of 67.His tomb is in the Zensho-ji Temple in Shikatani, Naka-ku.
Reference
"Rekidai Hamamatsu Shicho to Shisei no Ayumi-ten Sasshi (Brochure of the Exhibition of History of Mayors and Governance of Hamamatsu City)" (Hamamatsu Chuo Library)