Kokichi Mikimoto (御木本 幸吉 Mikimoto Kōkichi, March 10, 1858 – September 21, 1954) is the Japanese inventor of the cultured pearl. March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nuclei from Toba Pearl Island, Japan A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ...

Born as the first son of a udon shop owner in Toba, Mie prefecture (then called Shima Province), he left school at the age of 13 and sold vegetables to support his family. Seeing the pearl divers of Ise unloading their treasures at the shore in his childhood started the fascination with pearls. This article is about the Asian noodle dish. ... Toba (鳥羽市; -shi) is a city located in Mie, Japan. ... Mie Prefecture (三重県; Mie-ken) is part of the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Shima (志摩国; -no kuni) or Shishu (志州 shishū) was a province of Japan which consisted of a peninsula in the southeastern part of modern Mie Prefecture. ... Vegetables in a market Venn diagram representing the relationship between (botanical) fruits and vegetables. ... Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a now largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from oysters. ... This article is about the city in Mie Prefecture. ... Shore A shore or shoreline is the land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. ...

In 1888 Mikimoto obtained a loan to start his first pearl farm at the Shinmei inlet in Shima province together with his wife and partner Ume. On July 11, 1893, after many failures and near bankruptcy, the first cultivated pearl was obtained. It took another 12 years to create completely spherical pearls that were indistinguishable from natural ones. In 1899 the first Mikimoto pearl shop was opened in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo. 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Lenders be merged into this article or section. ... Lulworth Cove in Dorset, England (Great Britain) A fjord (Lysefjorden) in Norway An inlet is a body of water, mmusually sea water, which has characteristics of one or more of the following: a bay a cove an estuary a firth a fjord a geo a sea loch a sea lough... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan The Wako department store occupies a busy corner in Ginza Ginza (銀座) is a place in Chūō Ward, Tokyo named after the silver coin foundry or Ginza established here in 1612 (Edo period). ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ...

The Mikimoto empire expanded internationally soon thereafter. Just before his death, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the First Class. On September 21, 1954, Kokichi Mikimoto died at the age of 96. Posthumously he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of Sacred Treasure. September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Mikimoto and Pearls