Shintaro Tsuji

Early life

Shintaro Tsuji was born in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, to a manageress of three ryokan. He was a student of a kindergarten affiliated with the Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin. As part of a wealthy family belonging to the Saegusa clan, Tsuji, as their first child, lived a life of luxury, yet he was secluded. When his mother died of leukemia, Tsuji was under the care of his abusive aunt. From 1945 to 1947, Tsuji studied chemical engineering at Kiryu Technical College (now a part of Gunma University); at that time, he also practiced manufacturing, and he would later take advantage of the post-World War II shortage situation in the country by creating goods for the black market—an act that formed the basis of his entrepreneurial career.

Tsuji married Yasuko in the 1950s. He is the father of Kunihiko Tsuji (who was at one point the heir of Sanrio before his death in 2013) and the grandfather of Tomokuni Tsuji (the current president of Sanrio and the youngest CEO of a TOPIX-listed company), who coincidentally has the same birthday as Hello Kitty. Tsuji had an interest in Greek mythology, owing to his time with his aunt.

During his college years, Tsuji contracted tuberculosis, and had to recover in his family home for several months. As president of Sanrio, he also thought of committing suicide at one point, but he ended up wanting to live upon undergoing polypectomy.