Thursday, June 16 1921: OSAKO Masatomi, the founder of Zenrin, was born.

Thursday, June 16 1921 (Taisho 10): OSAKO Masatomi, the founder of Zenrin Co., Ltd., which is famous for its housing map, was born in Usa City, Oita Prefecture. After the war, Osako was demobilized from Manchuria and established the Huako Tourism Association in 1949 (Showa 24), which published a pamphlet for tourists titled “Nenkan Beppu”. The city map at the end of the book was well received. The following year, the company changed its name to Zenrin Publishing Co., Ltd., and began full-scale production of housing maps. The name Zenrin means to make friends with neighboring countries. Detailed maps are also military information, so if the world is not peaceful, private companies cannot develop and sell them themselves. The name reflects Osako’s wish for peace, which she struggled with during the war.