History

Hanroku Higuchi (the father-in-law of the first president Toichi Kagami), an entrepreneur from Masuho village, Minamikoma-gun (now Minami-Alps city), Yamanashi established Hiyoshi Kaisoten in Ota-machi, Yokohama launched into the forwarding business.

Fires from the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed all stores, vessels, and vehicles, and in November of the following year, the Corporate Headquarters was relocated to its current location (6-66 Sumiyoshi, Yokohama) and business resumed.

Domestic trade warehouse completed in domestic trade zone at 11 Takashima-cho Nishi-ku, Yokohama.
After breakout of the Manchurian Incident in September of the same year, we engaged in longshoring, stevedoring and forwarding of a large amount of gasoline and lubricant for the Fuel Bureau of the Imperial Army of Japan.

After breakout of World War II in Europe, we engaged to forward a large amount of cargo to Germany from Yokohama via Vladivostok on the Siberian Railway. After breakout of the Russo-German War, we single-handedly undertook longshoring, stevedoring and forwarding of the military commodities for German ships berthing at Yokohama port.

Due to the enforcement of the control act for water transport based on the National Mobilization Law, port transportation concessions, the majority of employees, and all tug boats and barges were transferred to the Yokohama Harbor Transportation Co., Ltd control company (later renamed to Keihin Unyu Co., Ltd).

Company changed to a joint-stock corporation, with president Mr. Toichi Kagami appointed as representative director. In the same year, Keihin Unyu Co., Ltd., designated as a closed institution in accordance with the closed institution act, was dissolved and business rights, supplied employees, tug boats and barges were returned, and freight forwarding business resumed.

With the implementation of the Port Transport Business Law, registration for the Minister of Transport for general port transport operations was completed.

With the reconstruction of the war-devastated Yokohama Oil Refinery of Nippon Oil Refining Company, we set up a branch office in Moriya-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama and were contracted for duties relating to the custom brokers equipments, its parts and materials, operations of construction machineries, management operations of warehouses, etc. Even after completion of the refinery, we continued to be contracted for various work related to the construction of the Shiohama Plant of Nippon Petrochemical in April 1958, the Chidori Plant of the same company in October 1958, and the Negishi Refinery of Nippon Oil Refining Company in August 1961, and after the completion of construction, the company received orders for various on-premise work and operation of employee cafeterias. We separated those operations in January, 1976.

Upon release of the occupied property, construction began on Hiyoshi Building (reinforced concrete, 4 stories, 2,145m² floor space) and the corporate headquarters was moved there.

The Minami-Kyushu Takanabe branch office at 5029 Kaguchiura, Koyugun, Takanabe-cho, Miyazaki and the Minami-kyushu Hososhima branch office at 667 Hososhima, Hyuga City, Miyazaki were established. Each of them undertakes various port-related work for Minami-Kyushu Chemical Industry.

Set up a branch office and opened a warehouse at the pier of a commercial port in Kawashiro-cho, Tobata city (the present Kitakyushu city), Fukuoka. The branch office handled the just-in-time delivery of steel making materials (ferroalloy, rare metals) , so called "Dehokan-soko system" for Yawata Works of Yawata Iron and Steel Company (the present Nippon Steel Corporation) We sold this business and facilities to Nichijyu Trading Company in January 1976.

In conjunction with the new plant construction project of Tekkosha in Hyuga, Miyazaki, we bought shares of Hyuga Transport Company, and Mr. Toichi Kagami, our president at the time became president. With the construction of the Hyuga plant of Tekkosha (the present Tosoh Hyuga Corporation) in April 1964, we set up the Hososhima branch office in Hyuga, Miyazaki and were contracted for on-premise operations, such as stevedoring and longshoring of raw materials (manganese ore) on vessels, customs clearance, and maintenance of plant production lines. In February 1970, the Minami-kyushu Hososhima Office was relocated to 17371-2 Hichiya, Hyuga City in Hososhima Port.

In November of the same year, a sales office and ferroalloy warehouse (first phase construction: 1,769m²) were constructed on the premises of the Kimitsu Works of Yawata Iron and Steel Company (now Nippon Steel Corporation), and the operation of the “Dehokan-soko system” just-in-time delivery service of raw material for steelmaking began, the second plant to introduce the system after Yawata Works. In October 1969, the second building extension of the Kimitsu ferroalloy warehouse (1,074m²) was completed in conjunction with the start of Blast Furnace #2 operations. In September 1971, the third building extension of the Kimitsu ferroalloy warehouse (1,073m²) was completed in conjunction with the start of operations at Blast Furnace #3 of Kimitsu Works (which was capable of producing 1,000 million tons of crude steel per annum).

We obtained the Tokyo and Yokohama customs brokers license.

The Nissan Transport Warehouse and Sansei Transport Company established for the freight forwarding business at Keihin Port. The freight forwarding 4 stevedoring licenses for Keihin Port and the Yokohama custom brokers license were relinquished to authorities as a result of the merger.

We set up an branch office in Yamagata Plant of Tosoh Corporation and began personnel leasing. In January 1999, the sales office was closed due to the closure of the plant, and the company was liquidated.

With the relocation of the automotive parts & components division and die cast division of Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd. to Nirasaki, we established Hiyoshi Industrial Services Yamanashi and set up a sales office at the same location to undertake various on-premise operations. In December 2001, we sold this business to Nirasaki Kosan Limited, closed the branch office, and liquidated the company.

We established Metropolitan Motors Limited as a dealership of BMW. In April 2007, we sold this company to another company.

Established Miyazaki Hiyoshi Industrial Services Limited, and on-premise jobs were transferred from Hiyoshi Kaisoten's Minami-kyushu Hososhima Office Hyuga plant to Tosoh Corporation (now Tosoh Hyuga Corporation).

Hiyoshi Corporation of North America was established in South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A., very close to I/N Tek, a cold-strip mill company, a joint venture of Nippon Steel Corporation, U.S.A. and Inland Steel Industries, Inc. (now Mittal Steel Company, N.V.) to develop business opportunities in the U.S.A. Opened Japanese restaurant "Hiyoshi". In September 1994, due to a lack of prospects in the zinc “Dehokan-soko” business for CGL Mill in I/N Kote, we closed the Japanese restaurant “Hiyoshi” and liquidated Hiyoshi Corporation of North America.

The examination for ISO 9001 certification, a company-wide effort to commemorate the company's 90th anniversary, was completed and the certification was acquired.

A branch office and an international private berth were established at Akane-hama, Narashino, Chiba. The branch office began to manage of Mitsui Bussan Raw Materials Development Corporation (now MM&KENZAI Corporation) Hiyoshi-Akanehama Steel Making Materials Terminal and took acceptance inspections, storage, stevedoring, longshoring and other operations for steel scrap, ferroalloys and other cargoes. We closed the branch office and the berth on September 2014.

Reception to commemorate our 100th anniversary was held at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. Received a certificate commemorating the 100th anniversary from the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce on March 2015.

Acquired certification as a safety excellence enterprise from the Japan Trucking Association.

We opened the Sodegaura warehouse (4,158m²) at 16-1 Nakasode, Sodegaura, Chiba to store and transport synthetic resin products and other various cargo.

The Kimitsu Warehouse Management Core System was revamped as the start of a DX project being promoted on a company-wide scale to contribute to customers through value creation by IT. From the fall of 2024, the company has been aiming to raise awareness of the "e-DeHokan System" and encourage use by field warehousing vendors.