MAZDA

The Hatsuuma-taisai Festival is solemnly held every February at the Inari Shrine located on the premises of Mazda’s headquarters, with the chief priest of a nearby Shinto shrine. The festival is attended by Mazda’s chairman, the president, directors, officers, and employees as well as representatives from partner r companies. All attendees pray for the prosperity of the Mazda Group, the health of employees, and the safety of the company.

The Inari Shrine dates back to the time when the company was located in Yoshijima-cho in Hiroshima City. To mourn for an employee who was killed in a sudden fire accident at the cork plant, then-President Jujiro Matsuda built a small shrine at the burnt-out site. Subsequently, when the company was relocated to present-day Fuchu Town, the shrine was rebuilt near the front gate of the company, receiving a divine spirit from Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines. Although it is slightly odd for a divine spirit to be separately enshrined from a shrine located elsewhere, in this case in Kyoto, this may be related to the fact that Jujiro Matsuda once used to do business in that region. Many group photos taken in front of the shrine at key moments for the company, have been kept in an old company album, including photos taken at the victory debriefing of an auto race for a memorial service, and when holding a send-off ceremony before attending a public performance test for three-wheeled trucks.

The Inari Shrine has watched over the company for many years, during which it was relocated twice. In 1960, the year marking the company’s 40th anniversary, the Inari Shrine was relocated for the first time due to the reallocation of company facilities associated with business expansion. It was moved a short distance away from its former position adjacent to the front gate to the headquarters’ main building courtyard. In 1980, 20 years after the first relocation, the shrine was moved to its current location, on the premises of the CC Center. Located on a hill at the foot of the Toyo Bridge, connecting the company’s headquarters area and the Ujina plant area, its location presents a panoramic view of the whole company. The shrine’s second relocation was carried out as a result of the 1970’s energy crisis that plunged the company in a period of hardship, which some compared to a dark, cold winter. At the time, some said that the company’s poor business performance might be caused by the Inari Shrine being surrounded on all four sides by buildings. Consequently, it was decided that the shrine would be relocated as far as two kilometers from its former site, as part of the company’s 60th anniversary project. A memorable moment related to the Inari Shrine was during the Hatsuuma-taisai Festival held in 1997, when Henry D.G. Wallace, the first president from Ford Motor Company, assumed office. At first, it was discussed that the ritual should be performed by the Japanese Chairman, taking into account that the foreign president was unaccustomed to Shinto rituals. However, since President Wallace wished to perform the ritual himself, ritual manners, including how to offer a sprig of the sacred sakaki tree in front of the shrine altar, were translated into English for him. Always taking care to respect and follow Japanese customs and corporate culture, President Wallace mastered these manners and skillfully performed the ritual at the festival, passing on Mazda’s tradition beyond national boundaries.

Mazda’s Inari Shrine has closely watched over us through thick and thin and will continue to warmly watch over the future of the company, as it always has done in the past.