Yataro Iwasaki was the bold and ambitious entrepreneur who started Mitsubishi. The son of a provincial farmer, Yataro began his career in the employ of the Tosa clan. The clan held business interests in many parts of Japan, which whetted the young man's ambition.
Yataro's great grandfather had sold the family's samurai status to cover debts. Although well off, the ambitious young man knew that the only way to gain true power was education. At 19, Yataro followed an official of the Tosa clan to Edo (Tokyo) to further his studies.
The serious injury of Yataro's father in a dispute with the village headman brought him home from Edo a year later. When the local magistrate refused to hear his case, Yataro accused him of corruption. That landed him in prison for seven months.