Yamanaka & Company was founded in the 19th century in Osaka, Japan, before the business was expanded by Yamanaka Sadajiro (1865-1936), who had been adopted by the Yamanaka family, opening branches in Europe and the USA. In London, the firm received a Royal Warrant from H.M. King George V in 1919 and from H.M. Queen Mary in 1920. The business had a head office in Osaka, Japan and branches in Peking (Beiljing) in China, and in New York, Chicago and Boston in the USA from the 1930s. In 1936 Mr Okada was the manager of the London branch of the business.
On 8th July 1942 the American Government seized the assets of the company under the Trading with Enemy Act 1917 and the stock of Yamanaka & Co. Inc. was sold in a number of auctions in 1944. The business resumed trading after WWII and continued in the USA until 1966, with the central branches in Japan trading until 2003.
