101007-0071 - Shirokiya Department Store

Streetcars pass by Shirokiya Department Store (白木屋) in Tokyo, opened in 1903 (Meiji 36).

Launched in 1662 (Kanbun 2) by Omura Hikotaro (大村彦太郎, 1635-1689), the store was the main rival of Mitsukoshi. Over the centuries it grew steadily until things turned sour in the 1920s and 1930s.

The company was largely dissolved in 2001 (Heisei 13), although one store remains in Honolulu, Hawaii.