Derived from the narration at the funeral ceremony of Yuriko Yoshimura, honorary adviser of Marin Food Ltd.,
"Yuriko Yoshimura, honorary adviser of Marin Food Ltd., passed away at the age of 90 at 7:01am on March 30, 2011.
Yuriko was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, on February 21, 1921. From childhood, Yuriko became familiar with traditional Japanese dance (nihon buyo), and was known as a gifted. In order to pursue her career in Japanese dance, she came to Osaka and became the last direct disciple of the Eighth Bando Mitsugoro, who was later designated a Living National Treasure.
In 1948, after the war, Yuriko married Eikichi (the founder of Marin Food Ltd.). After the marriage, she dedicated herself in supporting her husband. Sometimes she served as a teacher of Nagauta-style shamisen to her husband. Since the foundation of Milk Marin Corporation (now Marin Food Ltd.) in March 1957, Eikichi and Yuriko had worked hard and together laid the first foundation of the company.
Since Eikichi passed away in 1980, Yuriko, as an auditor, chairperson, and honorary adviser, had been supporting her son, Naoki, who assumed the presidency.
Important to know that Naoki is in the position of President today only because Yuriko brought her son back to Osaka as he was living leisurely in Hokkaido (the furthest North Island in Japan).
Yuriko loved Japanese dance and sake all her life. She never missed having a couple of cold sake drinks at dinner and enjoyed dancing Japanese dance at banquets with guests and employees till she was over 80.
Yuriko, who had lived her life of 90 to the fullest, kept saying "I have lived enough. I am content whenever I am welcomed (by heaven)" in her later years. She asked her son Naoki to make her a posthumous name, and was received "Getsu-sho-in-shaku-ni-kei-hyaku-daishi."
Today, recalling the times when Yuriko was still with us, honoring her grace, we would like to express our sincere condolences here.
We wish that she will guide us forward with the development of the company and the happiness of all the people associated with the company."
Derived from the President's letter at the end of 2011,
"Marin Food is facing its 55th year in 2012. We will not make as fancy a celebration as that should be done in thirtieth, fiftieth, or one hundredth year; however, in these rapidly changing years, only five year since 50th still stands out as something that should be addressed.
Since the beginning of 2011, we have discussed what project to make for this anniversary. One of the ideas that came up was to make a new logo.
Actually making a new logo was my dream for over 30 years.
Now I am over 60, and decided it is time to accomplish my dream.
Rather than asking a professional design firm, I decided to make a public offering. In one month, we had over 2258 offers from Hokkaido to Okinawa, including 11 from overseas.
The final prize was received by Osamu Nagasawa, a professional designer from Saitama prefecture. We had four other honorable mentions."
The story of Don Quixote, which was written 400 years ago by a Spanish writer Cervantes, is about a man riding on a scrawny horse, believing in chivalry, charging windmills. This story especially touches me because I found beauty in pursuing his dream, notwithstanding his insanity.
600 years ago, Zeami, the actor and playwright of Japanese Noh Theater, wrote in his book, Kaden-no-sho, that "Mai (dance) that originates in Noh play, cannot exist without its Hana (meaning flower, blossom, or beauty)." The sixth Onoe Kikugoro (a Japanese established Kabuki actor) wrote a poem, "Not enough, dance and dance, even afterlife," at the end of his life.
Tenfu Nakamura, a Japanese writer, wrote in his book, Actualization of Success that "Human beings can accomplish anything that they believe they could. If he thinks he cannot, he cannot, if he believes he can, he can. In other words, everything happens as you believe."
Let us look at the case of Shigenobu Nagamori, the president of Nippon Densan, a motor maker with a sales of 685 billion yen and net income of 50 billion yen.
Mr. Nagamori bought Sankyo Seiki, which had a bottom line loss of 10 billion in 2003. After one year and half, in 2005, he made a profit of 8 billion. He mentioned his secrets as follows:
In addition to that, he bought Sanyo-seimitsu, which had a consecutive sales loss for 3 terms. He transferred from red to black in 2 months.
Next, I would like to mention the case of Carlos Ghosn, who revitalized Renault and Nissan.
He assumed presidency of Nissan in June 1999 and announced a revival plan in October of that year. He announced his goals as follows:
"Nissan may be the strongest motor corporation in Japan right now. Nissan Revival Plan (NRP) brought us the best financial performance ever since its foundation. Nissan revived. We are stimulated by our own accomplishment to make further progress."
Alan Lafley, who rejuvenated P&G, said in 2004,
"P&G has 2.5 billion consumers from 160 countries. In other words, P&G products are used by our global consumers 2 billion times a day. The world population is about 6.5 billion. It is possible to make our consumer number around 4 to 4.5 billion. There are people who may not able to buy motor cars but they can afford household and skin care products. I would like to make a contact with those people and appeal the good points of P&G. I believe that brand should imply ' promise with consumers.' Our trademark should be understood as a trust mark. ...There are not many corporations that have our variety of human resources. Our management cadre includes Greek, German, Columbian, Indian, Italian, and French. The top manager in Japan is from India (at that time). Before him, we had a German, and an American top manager. The top in China was a female from Italy. Before her, we had a French and Greek manager. We choose the most fit from all around the world."
Commander Masayuki Akiyama, who brought victory to Japan with the Japan Sea Battle, wrote a draft for Heihachiro Togo at the ceremony of dismantlement of combined arms,
"A cannonball that hits a target 100 times when it tries hundred times can counter 100 cannonballs that hit one time when it tries hundred times. When you know this, we military officers should not consider military force as metaphysics. When we ponder upon the life of a military man, it is a continuation of battles. When it happens we exercise our force, when it does not happen, we cultivate our force. In whatever the situation, we just act out our duty. ...Gods bestow the laurel of victory to those who dedicate themselves in their discipline and win before they do battle. At the same time, gods deprive people of their honor who leisure themselves only because they won once. An old saying goes, 'when you win, tighten your helmet lace and prepare yourself for the next battle.'"
The secret of business enterprise consists of two concepts: to make it grow and to make it stable. Our challenge is to exercise both concepts. When it lacks either one, there is no true prosperity for an enterprise.
Marin Food has 6 corporate paths:
Marin Food has 4 Grand Principles:
Growth and development is to increase the number of customers whatever the economic circumstances, develop new added-value products, surprise the customers, and let them be loyal customers. In order to increase the number of customers, we continually visit potential customers, hold meetings to explain our products, ask them to visit our factories, research products and services by other companies, improve our services, re-develop products that touch customers and increase the productivity. We cannot expand our business unless we differentiate our company in all its directions.
Stability is about customers buying our products or services again, again, and again. There is no stability without this principle. That is why we act up to our customer-focus principle, keep our visits regular, know our clients well, improve product quality, and make sure we have accurate delivery. The biggest theme is to cultivate and improve the elements with which the same customers repeatedly order the same products.
We, in the unending history of our universe, serendipitously born of the same era, work for Marin Food, engaging in the food business.
Our food industry is surprisingly low-key, low-tech, and conservative, when compared with other industries like electric, information, communication, apparel, and housing. Our tendency to prefer mother's home cooking continues throughout life. This can prevent us from experiencing new tastes and new flavors, which contrasts starkly with fashion or hobbies. So, once our customer likes our products, they repeatedly order the same products for years, which I found as a blessing.
Nothing can be more rewarding than challenging the goals and achieving stable profits, surviving the severe competition in the swell of changing times. I wish to serve as a locomotive for employees, customers and partners who serendipitously work with Marin Food, to co-create a precious future with our hands.
This year, we face the 26th business plan announcement party. Our progress was as if a cow in a city was walking up a winding ramp at a sluggish pace. This year, we started our voyage with our new logo and new catch-phrase, "Jump the Frontier."
I claim that in the pursuit of Marin's Dream, I devote myself in the improvement of the company, decide the direction, make determination, and progress management with passion and sincerity. This I believe is my mission assigned by heaven.
"Yuriko Yoshimura, honorary adviser of Marin Food Ltd., passed away at the age of 90 at 7:01am on March 30, 2011.
Yuriko was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, on February 21, 1921. From childhood, Yuriko became familiar with traditional Japanese dance (nihon buyo), and was known as a gifted. In order to pursue her career in Japanese dance, she came to Osaka and became the last direct disciple of the Eighth Bando Mitsugoro, who was later designated a Living National Treasure.
In 1948, after the war, Yuriko married Eikichi (the founder of Marin Food Ltd.). After the marriage, she dedicated herself in supporting her husband. Sometimes she served as a teacher of Nagauta-style shamisen to her husband. Since the foundation of Milk Marin Corporation (now Marin Food Ltd.) in March 1957, Eikichi and Yuriko had worked hard and together laid the first foundation of the company.
Since Eikichi passed away in 1980, Yuriko, as an auditor, chairperson, and honorary adviser, had been supporting her son, Naoki, who assumed the presidency.
Important to know that Naoki is in the position of President today only because Yuriko brought her son back to Osaka as he was living leisurely in Hokkaido (the furthest North Island in Japan).
Yuriko loved Japanese dance and sake all her life. She never missed having a couple of cold sake drinks at dinner and enjoyed dancing Japanese dance at banquets with guests and employees till she was over 80.
Yuriko, who had lived her life of 90 to the fullest, kept saying "I have lived enough. I am content whenever I am welcomed (by heaven)" in her later years. She asked her son Naoki to make her a posthumous name, and was received "Getsu-sho-in-shaku-ni-kei-hyaku-daishi."
Today, recalling the times when Yuriko was still with us, honoring her grace, we would like to express our sincere condolences here.
We wish that she will guide us forward with the development of the company and the happiness of all the people associated with the company."
Derived from the President's letter at the end of 2011,
"Marin Food is facing its 55th year in 2012. We will not make as fancy a celebration as that should be done in thirtieth, fiftieth, or one hundredth year; however, in these rapidly changing years, only five year since 50th still stands out as something that should be addressed.
Since the beginning of 2011, we have discussed what project to make for this anniversary. One of the ideas that came up was to make a new logo.
Actually making a new logo was my dream for over 30 years.
Now I am over 60, and decided it is time to accomplish my dream.
Rather than asking a professional design firm, I decided to make a public offering. In one month, we had over 2258 offers from Hokkaido to Okinawa, including 11 from overseas.
The final prize was received by Osamu Nagasawa, a professional designer from Saitama prefecture. We had four other honorable mentions."
The story of Don Quixote, which was written 400 years ago by a Spanish writer Cervantes, is about a man riding on a scrawny horse, believing in chivalry, charging windmills. This story especially touches me because I found beauty in pursuing his dream, notwithstanding his insanity.
600 years ago, Zeami, the actor and playwright of Japanese Noh Theater, wrote in his book, Kaden-no-sho, that "Mai (dance) that originates in Noh play, cannot exist without its Hana (meaning flower, blossom, or beauty)." The sixth Onoe Kikugoro (a Japanese established Kabuki actor) wrote a poem, "Not enough, dance and dance, even afterlife," at the end of his life.
Tenfu Nakamura, a Japanese writer, wrote in his book, Actualization of Success that "Human beings can accomplish anything that they believe they could. If he thinks he cannot, he cannot, if he believes he can, he can. In other words, everything happens as you believe."
Let us look at the case of Shigenobu Nagamori, the president of Nippon Densan, a motor maker with a sales of 685 billion yen and net income of 50 billion yen.
Mr. Nagamori bought Sankyo Seiki, which had a bottom line loss of 10 billion in 2003. After one year and half, in 2005, he made a profit of 8 billion. He mentioned his secrets as follows:
- 1. 20% Cut back of material cost
- 2. Cut back of general expense from 10 million yen to 5 million yen
In addition to that, he bought Sanyo-seimitsu, which had a consecutive sales loss for 3 terms. He transferred from red to black in 2 months.
Next, I would like to mention the case of Carlos Ghosn, who revitalized Renault and Nissan.
He assumed presidency of Nissan in June 1999 and announced a revival plan in October of that year. He announced his goals as follows:
- 1. Black by March 2001
- 2. Sales profit rate 4.5% by March 2003
- 3. Cut back in interest-bearing debt from 1400 billion to 700 billion yen
- 1. Net profit of 310 billion by March 2001
- 2. Sales profit rate 4.75%
- 3. Cut back in interest-bearing debt to 953 billion yen
"Nissan may be the strongest motor corporation in Japan right now. Nissan Revival Plan (NRP) brought us the best financial performance ever since its foundation. Nissan revived. We are stimulated by our own accomplishment to make further progress."
Alan Lafley, who rejuvenated P&G, said in 2004,
"P&G has 2.5 billion consumers from 160 countries. In other words, P&G products are used by our global consumers 2 billion times a day. The world population is about 6.5 billion. It is possible to make our consumer number around 4 to 4.5 billion. There are people who may not able to buy motor cars but they can afford household and skin care products. I would like to make a contact with those people and appeal the good points of P&G. I believe that brand should imply ' promise with consumers.' Our trademark should be understood as a trust mark. ...There are not many corporations that have our variety of human resources. Our management cadre includes Greek, German, Columbian, Indian, Italian, and French. The top manager in Japan is from India (at that time). Before him, we had a German, and an American top manager. The top in China was a female from Italy. Before her, we had a French and Greek manager. We choose the most fit from all around the world."
Commander Masayuki Akiyama, who brought victory to Japan with the Japan Sea Battle, wrote a draft for Heihachiro Togo at the ceremony of dismantlement of combined arms,
"A cannonball that hits a target 100 times when it tries hundred times can counter 100 cannonballs that hit one time when it tries hundred times. When you know this, we military officers should not consider military force as metaphysics. When we ponder upon the life of a military man, it is a continuation of battles. When it happens we exercise our force, when it does not happen, we cultivate our force. In whatever the situation, we just act out our duty. ...Gods bestow the laurel of victory to those who dedicate themselves in their discipline and win before they do battle. At the same time, gods deprive people of their honor who leisure themselves only because they won once. An old saying goes, 'when you win, tighten your helmet lace and prepare yourself for the next battle.'"
The secret of business enterprise consists of two concepts: to make it grow and to make it stable. Our challenge is to exercise both concepts. When it lacks either one, there is no true prosperity for an enterprise.
Marin Food has 6 corporate paths:
- 1. Acting your part
- 2. Growth and development
- 3. Creation
- 4. Re-engineering
- 5. Communication
- 6. Share=Sympathy
Marin Food has 4 Grand Principles:
- 1. Core Competence
- 2. Customer Focus
- 3. Speed
- 4. Management by wondering around
Growth and development is to increase the number of customers whatever the economic circumstances, develop new added-value products, surprise the customers, and let them be loyal customers. In order to increase the number of customers, we continually visit potential customers, hold meetings to explain our products, ask them to visit our factories, research products and services by other companies, improve our services, re-develop products that touch customers and increase the productivity. We cannot expand our business unless we differentiate our company in all its directions.
Stability is about customers buying our products or services again, again, and again. There is no stability without this principle. That is why we act up to our customer-focus principle, keep our visits regular, know our clients well, improve product quality, and make sure we have accurate delivery. The biggest theme is to cultivate and improve the elements with which the same customers repeatedly order the same products.
We, in the unending history of our universe, serendipitously born of the same era, work for Marin Food, engaging in the food business.
Our food industry is surprisingly low-key, low-tech, and conservative, when compared with other industries like electric, information, communication, apparel, and housing. Our tendency to prefer mother's home cooking continues throughout life. This can prevent us from experiencing new tastes and new flavors, which contrasts starkly with fashion or hobbies. So, once our customer likes our products, they repeatedly order the same products for years, which I found as a blessing.
Nothing can be more rewarding than challenging the goals and achieving stable profits, surviving the severe competition in the swell of changing times. I wish to serve as a locomotive for employees, customers and partners who serendipitously work with Marin Food, to co-create a precious future with our hands.
This year, we face the 26th business plan announcement party. Our progress was as if a cow in a city was walking up a winding ramp at a sluggish pace. This year, we started our voyage with our new logo and new catch-phrase, "Jump the Frontier."
I claim that in the pursuit of Marin's Dream, I devote myself in the improvement of the company, decide the direction, make determination, and progress management with passion and sincerity. This I believe is my mission assigned by heaven.
January 28, 2012
Naoki Yoshimura
Naoki Yoshimura
