We introduce the highlights of the Mitsui Memorial Museum, which houses approximately 4,000 pieces of art and crafts and 130,000 stamps collected since the Edo period by the Mitsui family, a famous former zaibatsu (financial conglomerate).
The museum's collection is diverse, including tea ceremony utensils, paintings, calligraphy, swords, Noh masks, Noh costumes, and furnishings, and it holds elaborate exhibitions about five times a year, with each exhibition period featuring a different theme.

What to see at the Mitsui Memorial Museum?

The Mitsui Memorial Museum exhibits artworks collected by the Mitsui family, known for the Mitsui Group. It is a museum where you can not only appreciate the artworks but also get a glimpse into the history and culture of the Mitsui family.
The origins of the Mitsui Group date back to 1673, when Mitsui Takatoshi opened Echigoya in Honmachi, Edo. Since then, the Mitsui family has flourished as a kimono merchant and money exchanger, and in the Meiji era formed the Mitsui zaibatsu by founding Mitsui Bank and Mitsui & Co. As a result, the museum has a collection of around 4,000 artworks donated by the Kita, Shinmachi, Muromachi, Minami, Isarago, and Motomuramachi families, as well as the Takatsukasa family.

National Treasure "Snow and Pine Trees Screen" by Maruyama Okyo

The museum's collection includes six national treasures, 75 important cultural properties, and four important art objects, the core of which are tea ceremony utensils, including masterpieces such as the national treasure "Shino tea bowl, named Ubana Kabuki", the important cultural property "Kuraku tea bowl, named Shunkan", and the important cultural property "Karamono Katatsuki tea caddy (Kitano Katatsuki)". The museum also has rubbings, calligraphy, Noh masks, swords, and a world-class stamp collection of about 130,000 pieces, which are displayed according to the theme of the exhibition, so you may encounter a new art and craft every time you visit.

Shino tea bowl, famous Ubana Kabuki

In the exhibition room, Japanese and Oriental artworks, mainly from the museum's collection, are displayed in a Western-style architectural space, expressing the "beauty of form" that is the unique beauty of each work, such as shape, color, and composition. In addition, in the display case that reproduces the teahouse "Joan," you can enjoy the "beauty of utility" through the combination of tea utensils.

Inside the replica display case of "Jo-an" *This may not be on display depending on the exhibition.

Be sure to check out the architecture of the Mitsui Main Building!

If you visit the Mitsui Memorial Museum, don't forget to appreciate the architecture. The Mitsui Main Building, which houses the Mitsui Memorial Museum, was completed in 1929 and designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1998. It was built as a lesson learned from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and the total construction cost was about 10 times the construction cost of an average building at the time. It is said to have been a project that had a huge impact on the entire Japanese construction industry at the time.
It is said that Takuma Dan, the chairman of Mitsui General Partnership, established and strongly advocated the three slogans for the design: "Grandeur," "Dignity," and "Simplicity." The imposing exterior with its Roman-style Corinthian order columns still has a strong presence in the modern Muromachi/ Nihonbashi area.
Additionally, the rooms that serve as exhibition rooms 1 and 2 of the Mitsui Memorial Museum have a stately atmosphere with their wooden paneling and decoration, and retain the appearance of the time when they were used as a dining room for the executives of Mitsui General Partnership Co., Ltd. Why not take this opportunity to appreciate the magnificent building along with the art and crafts, and think back on the history of the Mitsui Group?

About the special exhibition "Mitsui Takatoshi and Echigoya - The business and culture of the Mitsui family during its early days"

"New Year's Scenery of Echigoya in Surugacho" by Torii Kiyonaga

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Mitsui Group, a special exhibition entitled "Mitsui Takatoshi and Echigoya - Business and Culture in the Early Days of the Mitsui Family" will be held from June 28th (Wed) to August 31st (Thu). Items used by the founder, Mitsui Takatoshi, as well as records relating to the business growth of Echigoya will be on display.
Historical materials such as the Mitsui family law "Sochikuisho" and thick management ledgers, famous tea ceremony utensils, paintings, and ancestral items are on display, and Mitsui's business, culture, and faith from its founding to its growth period are explained in an easy-to-understand manner. You may gain insights that are relevant to modern business, such as the secret to Mitsui's development over three generations. Enjoy the world of Mitsui, one of the wealthiest merchants of the Edo period.

Key Points of the Special Exhibition 1: "Items Used by Takatoshi Mitsui"

The Jutoku worn by Takatoshi

Red Raku tea bowl, inscribed "Sairai", made by Rakudo, owned by Mitsui Takatoshi

We will trace the footsteps of people from the founding of Echigoya through their favorite items in the early days. We will introduce the people of that time through items such as the Jutoku and tabi socks worn by Takatoshi, the inkstone box said to have been used by Takatoshi's wife Kane, and the Akaraku tea bowl that Takatoshi used.

Key Points of the Special Exhibition ② "The History of Echigoya and the Mitsui Group"

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Mitsui Exchange Store Daifuku Book

The beginnings and development of the business are introduced chronologically. Items on display are mainly business-related, such as the regulations from when Echigoya was founded in 1673, and records and tools from Mitsui's two major businesses: the kimono fabric business and the financial business.

Key Points of the Special Exhibition 3: "Mitsui Takatoshi and Tea Ceremony Utensils"

Important Cultural Property: Chinese Shoulder Stool Tea Cister Kitano Shoulders

Seto Futami tea caddy, inscribed Futami

As their business developed, the Mitsui family had more time to spend on cultural hobbies. The tea ceremony was an essential part of the culture of a wealthy Kyoto merchant, and owning fine tea utensils could also serve as collateral in business transactions. As such, the Mitsui family began collecting famous tea utensils during the Kyoho era (1716-1736) and Genbun era (1736-1741).
Here, famous tea ceremony utensils and tool books are on display, including the "Karamono Katatsuki Tea Caddy, Kitano Katatsuki," an Important Cultural Property, and the "Seto Futami-de Tea Caddy, Mei-Futami," a specialty of the revival period.