Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Hall

The Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Museum opened on November 11, 1995, the anniversary of Eiichi Shibusawa’s death, in Shimohetate, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, to pass on to future generations the life and achievements of Shibusawa Eiichi, known as the father of modern Japanese economics. The building incorporates design elements reminiscent of Western architecture from the Meiji era, and its exterior is characterized by red-brick-style tiles, a symbol of Fukaya City. With its stately entrance surrounded by columns, an open atrium hall shared with the community center, and a multipurpose room with a fabric dome roof, it is also cherished as a cultural hub for the local community. On the north side of the grounds stands a bronze statue of Eiichi that was formerly installed in front of Fukaya Station, quietly overlooking the peaceful rural landscape.

The museum is divided into first and second floors. The materials room on the first floor exhibits many items connected to Eiichi, including his calligraphy, photographs, and letters, as well as a wide range of related materials. In addition to his role as a businessman, there are also many exhibits that reveal his life as a man of culture, allowing visitors to systematically learn about his journey from childhood to his later years. There is also a corner where visitors can listen to rare recordings of Eiichi’s own voice, as well as a video screening that looks back on his life, offering a multifaceted understanding of his achievements.

On the second floor, there are exhibits related to the making of ai-dama, the raw material for indigo dyeing, and sericulture, activities that were carried out at Eiichi’s family home. Through models and explanatory panels, visitors can visually learn about the processes of selecting indigo and making the indigo balls, and gain a sense of the roots of the business acumen that young Eiichi developed through agriculture and commerce.

One of the museum’s major highlights is the Shibusawa Eiichi android, introduced in 2020. In the lecture room on the second floor, an android that faithfully recreates Eiichi in his seventies delivers a several-minute lecture on the “theory of the unity of morality and economy.” Its natural movements, including skin texture, facial expressions, blinking, and smiling, make it seem like a real person, and its voice is recreated by synthesizing an actor’s voice based on recordings of Eiichi’s own voice. Many visitors highly praise the experience as a vivid way to learn Eiichi’s philosophy that “morality and economy should originally coexist.”

Shibusawa Eiichi was born in 1840 to a farming family in Blood-Purifying Island, Fukaya City. From an early age, he helped with the family’s ai-dama production and sericulture, developing diligence and business acumen. His studies of the Four Books and Five Classics under his cousin Odaka Junchu had a major influence on his later thought. In his youth, he was ardently devoted to the Sonnō jōi movement, and after entering the service of the Hitotsubashi family, he demonstrated his abilities in financial reform and other matters. Furthermore, accompanying Tokugawa Akitake on a tour of Europe, where he directly observed modern industry and social systems, had a decisive impact on his later activities.

After returning to Japan, he was invited by the Meiji government and contributed to the building of a modern nation, including the founding of the Tomioka Silk Mill. However, in 1873 he left government service and embarked on a new path as a private entrepreneur. He was involved in the founding and management of many of Japan’s leading companies, including the First National Bank (now Mizuho Bank), the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo Gas, and Tokio Marine Insurance, totaling around 500 enterprises. He also supported more than 600 education, welfare, and public projects, including the Commercial Training Institute (now Hitotsubashi University) and the Philanthropic Society (now the Japanese Red Cross Society), dedicating himself to the development of society. For these achievements, he is regarded as the father of Japanese capitalism and was also chosen to appear on the new 10,000-yen banknote issued from 2024.

Around the memorial museum, there are many historic sites associated with Eiichi. About a three-minute drive away is the former Shibusawa residence, “Nakanchi,” where Eiichi was born, raised, and lived until the age of 23. After seismic reinforcement and interior renovation work in 2022, the interior is now open to visitors. The site also features exhibits of costumes and sets used in the historical drama “Seiten wo Tsuke,” and the building itself has great historical value, captivating many visitors.

The Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Museum is a place of learning that conveys Eiichi’s ideal of harmony between morality and economy to the present day, and it is beloved as a base for experiencing the history and culture of Fukaya. Visits are by advance reservation only, and applications must be made via the official website or by phone by two days before the desired date.