Day 49: Shinzo Ohki & Oriental Show-You Company, Columbia City, Indiana

📌APIA Every Day (49) - Shinzo Ohki, born in Kamakura, Japan, in 1883, founded the Oriental Show-You Company, one of the first fermented soy sauce businesses in the U.S. Immigrating in 1901, he settled in Seattle before moving between Michigan, Illinois and several other states. After earning a degree in business administration in New York, Ohki established roots in Columbia City, IN, and in 1924, he created the Oriental Shoyu Factory, also known as "Show You," specializing in fermented soy sauce and various Japanese products.

As one of the few soy sauce producers in the U.S., the Oriental Show-You Company defied expectations during the early 20th century when Japanese cuisine faced limited popularity. Ohki's business strategies, including featuring products in grocery ads, hosting catering events, and distributing free cookbooks, played a pivotal role in the company's unexpected success and popularity of East Asian dishes in America.

Because of Ohki's thriving soy sauce company, coupled with robust community support, he was not forced into incarceration camps and draft registration during World War II. Columbia City’s Rotary members initiated a letter-writing campaign, emphasizing Ohki's positive contributions and role as a major employer in Columbia City. Ohki's contributions are defined on a historical marker in Columbia City, marking the trajectory of his company from a small business to a large-scale production facility, underscoring the Whitley County’s support for Shinzo Ohki, one of the few Japanese Americans in the area.

LEARN MORE:

Wane News: Did you know? Whitley County was Home to One of America’s First Soy Sauce Factories

Edible Indy: Showstopping Soy Sauce

Indiana Historical Society: The Show-You Sauce of Columbia City

MSU: Oriental Show-You Bottle: Soy Sauce from the Brody/Emmons Dump

Historical Marker Database: Ohki Alley

Historical Marker Database: A Kind and Gentle Man

Discover Nikkei: The Chicago Shoyu Story—Shinsaku Nagano and the Japanese Entrepreneurs

Youtube: Shinzo Ohki | How One Japanese Man and His Community Broke the Barrer of Animosity

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