The Besshi Copper Mine (Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture) was opened by Izumiya (later the Sumitomo Zaibatsu).

An imperial decree was issued by the Meiji Emperor to establish Minatogawa Shrine, which enshrines Lord Kusunoki Masashige.

Saihei Hirose, the Director-General of Sumitomo at the time, dedicated himself not only to the modernization of the Besshi Copper Mine but also to starting tea cultivation in Uehara, Niihama, with the vision of fostering a new industry in the region. During an era when the Meiji government faced a scarcity of international currency (British pounds), he significantly contributed to acquiring foreign currency by expanding tea exports alongside silk textiles.

Furthermore, Saihei Hirose proposed and planned the erection of a bronze statue of Kusunoki Masashige (Dai-Nanko)—whom he deeply revered as the supreme historical symbol of selflessness and loyalty—at the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Besshi Copper Mine.

Leading artists, including Koun Takamura from the Tokyo Fine Arts School (later Tokyo University of the Arts), spent approximately 10 years creating the Nanko Statue using copper from the Besshi Copper Mine. It was presented to the Imperial Household Ministry in the name of the 15th head of the Sumitomo family, Tomoito Sumitomo.

The plaque in the photo states, under the name of the 15th head Tomoito: "My late elder brother, Tomotada, deeply feeling the national benevolence, wished to cast a statue of Kusunoki Masashige using Besshi copper and present it to His Majesty the Emperor."

The "Society for Appreciating the Nanko Statue at the Imperial Palace" (chaired by Atsushi Shinohara, President of Kougetsuen) obtained permission from the Ministry of the Environment, the governing authority of the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens. On October 20, 2019—two days before the Enthronement Ceremony of the Reiwa Emperor—a group of about 30 volunteers from Niihama City carried out a ceremonial cleaning (Ominugui) of the Nanko Statue.

Scaffolding was set up around the Nanko Statue to perform the ceremonial cleaning.

Acquired the trademark registration for "JAPANESE SAMURAI" in the Kougetsuen logo mark.

Acquired the trademark registration for Kougetsuen Matcha's catchphrase, "Japan is Matcha Land."