The Sumitomo Group is one of the largest Japanese business groups. The list of current or former Sumitomo Group members includes around 25 companies, from Mazda Motor Corporation and Nippon Sheet Glass Co Ltd to Sumitomo Rubber Industries. While many of them have an independent brand identity, several companies sharing the word “Sumitomo” in their name have somewhat similar logotypes inspired by the so-called Igeta mark.
The roots of the Sumitomo Group can be traced back to around 1615. It all started with a book and medicine shop opened in Kyoto by Masatomo Sumitomo.
The Igeta mark, which is the centerpiece of the Sumitomo logo, was registered as the trademark in 1914. The word “igeta” means “well frame.” According to the corporate legend, the emblem started to be used as a symbol of spring when Riemon Soga (1572 – 1636), Masatomo’s brother-in-law, opened Izumiya (“spring shop”), a copper refining and crafting shop, in Kyoto.
In the logo of the Sumitomo Group, the Igeta mark is white, while the background is black. In the logo of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., which makes tires and rubber products, it is blue on the white background and looks by far bolder.
While the logo of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. also featured the Igeta mark, it is much smaller here. It is bold and has slightly different proportions than in the main Sumitomo logo. In the case of the Sumitomo Precision Products, the Igeta is of a pastel peach shade, while Sumitomo Riko has a dark blue emblem.