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The Shibusawa Memorial Museum was established in November 1982 by the Ryumonsha, the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation, on the site of the former residence of Shibusawa Eiichi. The residence, Aiison-so, was located in what is now Asukayama Park, Kita-ku, Tokyo, a public park famous for its cherry blossoms.

The museum was originally opened in the Bankoro Cottage and the Seien Bunko Library, both built in the Taisho era (1912-1926) on the grounds of the residence. In March 1998 the new main building of the museum was opened to the public.


Main Building Bankoro Cottage Seien Bunko Library
Completion 1997 1917 1925
Structure Reinforced concrete 3 stories including basement Wooden structure with tile-roof
1 story
Reinforced concrete and brick
2 stories
Floor Space 1,653.13 sq. m. approximately 72 sq. m. approximately 330 sq. m.
Design AXS Satow Inc. Tanabe Junkichi Nakamura-Tanabe Office
Construction Shimizu Corporation current Shimizu Corp. current Shimizu Corp.

Main Building
floor map:1F
floor map:2F

Entering the museum through the front entrance you will find yourself in a central rotunda 8 meters in diameter. To the right are the information desk, the museum shop and the reading corner. Books about Shibusawa Eiichi, postcards, telephone cards, and other items are available for purchase in the museum shop while books on the history of the modern Japanese economy and Shibusawa Eiichi can be read in the reading corner. To the left you will find the conference room where you can watch a 25-minute movie about Eiichi. An English version of the movie is available from the reception desk. Straight ahead of you on the stairs leading to the second floor is a bust of Shibusawa Eiichi.
The exhibition space and lounge are on the second floor of the main building. Documents, artifacts, photographs and other images from the life of Shibusawa Eiichi are displayed in the permanent exhibition rooms. A Special exhibition is mounted throughout the year in the special exhibition rooms. At the front of the building by the wide curving picture window, is a small lounge with a fine view of the Seien Bunko and Asukayama Park.

BANKORO
The Bankoro is a finely crafted Western and Japanese cottage built in 1917 by Shimizu Gumi (now known as the Shimizu Corporation) to celebrate Shibusawa Eiichi's 77th birthday. Eiichi used the Bankoro to entertain his many important Japanese and international guests. The Seien Bunko and the Bankoro have been designated as Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. BANKORO Photo

SEIEN BUNKO
SEIEN BUNKO Photo The Seien Bunko is a Western-style reinforced concrete structure with beautiful stained glass windows and colorful tiles presented by the Ryumonsha to Shibusawa Eiichi in 1925 in honor of his 80th birthday and his promotion from baron to viscount. It was initially intended to be used as a library but was instead mainly used to entertain guests.

Many of Eiichi's books, including an old Japanese edition of the Analcts by Confucius, were donated to the Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Library by the Shibusawa Family in 1963 and are now in the collections of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library.
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