In 578 CE, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad was a pre-teen boy, the Roman Empire was a shadow of its former self with the Byzantine Empire rising from the ashes, and Shigetsu Kongō started the company Kongō Gumi (株式会社金剛組) in Osaka, Japan.  The company started with a contract from Prince Shōtoku Taishi to build Shitennō-ji, the first […]Read more »