The oldest continuously operating commercial enterprise in recorded history is Kongō Gumi, a Japanese construction and temple-building company established in the year 578 AD. Operating uninterrupted for over fourteen centuries, it specialized in traditional Buddhist architecture before eventually becoming a subsidiary of a larger construction group. Other remarkably ancient surviving entities include historic Japanese hot spring inns like Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (founded in 705 AD) and ancient European hospitality and brewing businesses.