Eiji Shigeta
Eiji Shigeta, was a soldier and a businessman during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, Shigeta was known for opening the Kikumoto Department Store in Taipei City. Kikumoto Department Store was later confiscated by the then Kuomintang government of Taiwan, and Eiji Shigeta and his family were sent back to their hometown in Yamaguchi, Japan.
Biography
Shigeta was born in Kuga-gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. He joined the Imperial Japanese Army and fought in China during the Eight-Nation Alliance, until returning home in November 1900. The following year, Shigeta was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, and later participated in the Russo-Japanese War. However, Shigeta was tired of the battlefield and loathed war, which made him consider starting a business instead.In 1903, at the age of 26, Shigeta came to Taiwan to work and engage in the cotton cloth wholesale business. At first, he worked for a wool fabric wholesaler run by locals on South Street, Taihoku. In 1926, Shigeta founded the Kikumoto Shoten in Taihei-cho in Taihoku. It mainly deals in fabrics and gofuku, and has branches in Minatocho and Xiamen. On November 28, 1932, Shigeta opened the Kikugen Department Store in Sakae-machi, Taihoku. It was the first department store in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period and one of the three largest department stores in Taiwan. In 1933, Shigeta provided financial support to Nakaji Toshiro to build a temple on the eastern hillside of Sanjiaopu, Shilin, Taipei City, dedicated to the Mazu, and founded the Tianmu religion. This is the origin of the place name Tianmu.
After the end of WW2 in 1945, all of Shigeta's property was confiscated, and he was repatriated to Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. When Shigeta boarded the ship on the day of his repatriation, Heitaro Shigeta, his eldest son, recalled: “My 40 years in Taiwan seemed like a dream.” Shigeta was died in 1958. Former employees of Kikugen Department Store later formed the "Kikueikai" and met regularly to reminisce about the past.
Shigeta had seven children, three sons and four daughters. The second son, Sawada Shigeta, was influenced by his father and joined the anti-war movement, but he was later arrested and executed by the Special Higher Police, and his body has not been found to date. He was also a member of the Taihoku Rotary Club and the Taihoku City Council during the Japanese colonial period. His hobby was gardening.