Natsuhara Heijiro (夏原 平次郎), the founder of the Heiwado supermarket chain, passed away on June 19, 2010. He died of pneumonia at age 91. A funeral was held at Hikone-shi Bunka Plaza on Aug. 5, 2010.

Born in 1919 and a native of Hikone, Natsuhara founded Heiwado in 1957 selling shoes and bags. In 1966, he expanded to include clothing, sundries, and groceries and Heiwado became a full-fledged supermarket. Heiwado was named after Natsuhara’s son Heiwa (平和), who is the current Heiwado president. Heiwa means peace, and Heiwado can be translated as Peace Hall.

About 3,000 people attended the funeral including Governor Kada Yukiko who gave a few words and the Hikone mayor who thanked Natsuhara for his generous donations enabling the city to build the Hikone Castle Museum and acquire a valuable Hikone folding screen.

Heiwado is one of the most visible and ubiquitous local symbols of Shiga Prefecture. The familiar green and orange peace dove logo atop its stores all over Shiga can tell you where the city/town center or train station is. It’s a convenient one-stop shop for everyday goods.

Heiwado has grown to have 70 stores in Shiga, 16 in Kyoto, 9 in Osaka, 2 in Hyogo, 5 in Fukui, 5 in Ishikawa, 2 in Toyama, 11 in Gifu, and 8 in Aichi Prefecture.

These include larger stores called AL Plaza featuring clothing shops, bookstores, etc., as tenants. There is also Friend Mart, a chain of smaller supermarkets in the more rural areas of Shiga.