Nozawa Gofukuten [department store], Yokohama, c. 1940.

“The Mogi family head firm, with the family’s Yokohama 74th Bank, constitutes twin enterprises of the greatest importance to the Mogi Family. The Head Office is in the Benten street, Yokohama with its business office established for convenience’ sake on the 2nd floor of the Tokyo Marine Insurance Company Building in Tokyo.

“The Mogi firm was opened as early as 1859 dealing chiefly in raw silk and was generally known as Nozawa Shop. Subsequently it expanded its sphere of business interests and took in hand the direct export of various kinds of merchandise.

“The partnership at present deals in various kinds of industrial products with several departments established for the purpose, such as of raw silk sales, raw silk export, silk fabric, cotton yarn and cotton tissue, machine, cutlery, wool and leather, oil and fat and miscellaneous goods.

“The famous Nozawaya Silk Goods and the Nozawaya Dry Goods Store in Yokohama are both under the control of the Mogi Dry Goods Department. These two stores enjoy the highest reputation among the foreign residents and Japanese as the ‘Mitsukoshi’ of Yokohama.”

– The Japan Financial and Economic Monthly, Vol. 12, 1918

Nozawa department store interior, Yokohama, c. 1940.