Nintendo: The Company and its Founders - Sharyland ISD

PLAYING CARDS
were married, he took her family name. This was
the custom when a man took over his wife’s family
business. Her husband’s name became Sekiryo
Yamauchi, and he took over as the president of
Nintendo in 1929.
The company’s playing card business
prospered under Sekiryo. He built new offices and a
distribution branch called Marufuku, which carried
many new varieties of modern playing cards. He
opened a factory with an assembly line and created
levels of managers who competed continuously,
trying to outperform each other.
Tei and Sekiryo’s marriage also did not produce
sons. Their daughter, Kimi, married Shikanojo Inaba,
a young man from a family of respected craftspeople.
When he married Kimi, his last name also became
Yamauchi, but he did not take ownership of
Nintendo. Then, in 1927 when Kimi and Shikanojo’s
son, Hiroshi, was born, he became the first male heir
born into the Nintendo family business.
NINTENDO’S HEIR
Like most parents, Kimi and Shikanojo dreamed of
a successful future for their baby son, Hiroshi. Little
did they realize that most of the company’s growth
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