Nintendo was founded by Japanese craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi in Kyoto, Japan, on September 23, 1889.

Quick Scoop

  • The person who “invented Nintendo” was Fusajiro Yamauchi, who started it as a small card-making business.
  • The original company name was Nintendo Koppai , and it produced handmade hanafuda playing cards, not video games.
  • Over many decades, Nintendo evolved from a card maker into the global video game company known for Mario, Zelda, and more.

Mini History: From Cards to Consoles

  • In 1889, Yamauchi opened his Kyoto shop to make and sell hanafuda playing cards, which became popular in Japan.
  • Later leaders in the Yamauchi family pushed Nintendo into toys in the 1960s and then arcade games and home consoles in the 1970s and 1980s.

Who Came After Fusajiro?

  • After Fusajiro retired, his son‑in‑law Sekiryo Kaneda (who took the Yamauchi name) became president in 1929 and formalized the company.
  • His grandson Hiroshi Yamauchi later led Nintendo’s big shift into electronic games and helped launch hits like Donkey Kong and the NES.

Title & SEO Bits

  • Focus phrase: who invented Nintendo – answer: Fusajiro Yamauchi, founder in 1889 in Kyoto, Japan.
  • Meta-style note: Nintendo started as a 19th‑century playing card shop and slowly transformed into today’s gaming giant over nearly a century.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.