1.
wealthy merchant; great merchant; powerful trader
A very rich and influential merchant, especially one from the Edo period or earlier Japanese history. Implies not just wealth but also social influence and often cultural patronage.
江戸時代の豪商は大きな屋敷を構えた。
Wealthy merchants of the Edo period maintained grand estates.
この蔵は豪商が建てたもので、今は資料館になっている。
This storehouse was built by a wealthy merchant and is now a museum.
豪商たちは莫大な財力で寺社への寄進や芸術の支援を行い、文化の発展に貢献した。
Great merchants contributed to the development of culture through their vast wealth, supporting temples and shrines with donations and patronizing the arts.
Composed of 豪 (grand, powerful) and 商 (merchant, commerce). Primarily a historical term, though it can be used figuratively for modern business tycoons.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
In the Edo period, the merchant class (商人) was officially the lowest of the four social classes, yet many 豪商 accumulated enormous wealth and cultural influence. Families like 三井, 住友, and 鴻池 built commercial empires. Many 豪商 residences and storehouses (蔵) survive as historical sites.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 江戸時代の豪商: Edo-period wealthy merchant
- 豪商の屋敷: merchant's mansion
- 豪商の蔵: merchant's storehouse
- 大豪商: great wealthy merchant
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 商人: merchant; trader — the general term, without implying exceptional wealth
- 豪農: wealthy farmer — the agricultural equivalent, a prosperous landowning farmer
- 財閥: zaibatsu; industrial conglomerate — the modern successor concept, referring to powerful business groups