FUKAMACHI, Tozo.

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Beikoku shoka jikkenroku ("My Time in American Commerce"). First and sole edition. Fukamachi recounts his experiences while working for American mercantile houses from 1886 to 1892. The late 19th century saw business ties between Japan and the US grow stronger, as many Japanese companies opened branches in cities like New York to facilitate trade and support their industrialization. We have traced no copies outside Japan in commerce or institutions.In this volume, Fukamachi lays out his understanding of the American commercial and financial system as a guide for companies hoping to relocate to or trade with the US. There is a particular focus on credit but also on banking overall, with chapters on proper accounting, assets, and the functioning of cheques. It includes examples of different types of ledger, floor plans of department stores, diagrams of the movements of cheques between banks, and an elaborate ring chart showing the different levels of commerce. This chart shows different facets of the market organized into concentric rings, starting with educated and experienced businessmen at the centre and moving outwards to cover creditors, banks, credit research companies, and business insurance.Fukamachi was born to a merchant family in Tokyo. He enrolled in business school but soon found himself travelling to America, where he worked at Kai Orie's Japanese art and curio store in San Francisco. Kai was a pioneer of Japanese commerce in America and an early student of the fa

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