2008 No.0３ October 1, 2008

Masuda Akihisa Photo Exhibition:
Bankoro and Seien Bunko
Saturday October 11 – November 29, 2008
Seien Bunko, Shibusawa Memorial MuseumThe Shibusawa Memorial Museum maintains two buildings built in the 1910s and 1920s part of the former
residence of Shibusawa Eiichi. Bankoro and Seien Bunko are both designated by the government as Important
Cultural Properties. Masuda Akihisa, a prominent architectural photographer, captured the unique beauty of the twobuildings with his camera. The exhibition of 20 photos of the Bankoro and 30 photos of the Seien Bunko by
Masuda is being held in the Seien Bunko in the Old Shibusawa Garden adjacent to the main museum building. We
hope you will enjoy the elegance and peaceful atmosphere of the historical buildings in the autumn garden.
Bankoro
The Bankoro is a finely crafted Western and Japanese cottage built and presented to Shibusawa Eiichi in 1917 by
the Shimizu Gumi (now the Shimizu Corporation) to celebrate Shibusawa's 77th birthday. Shibusawa used theBankoro as a reception room to welcome his many important Japanese and foreign guests. A wooden one-story
building, the Bankoro incorporates the functions and designs of a Japanese tea room and furnished with furniturespecially commissioned from artistic craftsmen.
Seien Bunko
The Seien Bunko is a Western-style reinforced concrete structure presented by the Ryumonsha (predecessor of theShibusawa Memorial Foundation) 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. Beautiful stained glass windows and colorful tiles add an elegant touch to the sedate and solidly builtstructure.
Masuda Akihisa
Masuda was born in Tokyo in 1939 and graduated from the Department of Photography in the College of Art at
Nihon University. After retiring from the Taisei Corporation, he established the Masuda Akihisa Photography
Office. He has been taking photos of architecture and the heritage of modern Japan more than 40 years and has
published many books.

About the SHIBUSAWA MEMORIAL MUSEUM
The Shibusawa Memorial Museum collects and displays documents and artifacts
from the life of Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931), a leader in business and finance
who fostered the growth and development of the modern Japanese economy.
Throughout his life he advocated for the harmony of morality and economy;
playing an important role not only in the business world but in the fields of socialwelfare, education and private-sector diplomacy as well.
1Masuda Akihisa Photo Exhibition: Seien Bunko and Bankoro
Dates:

Saturday October 11 – Monday November 29, 2008
12:30 – 15:45

Venue:

Exhibition Room, Seien Bunko, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Tel：03-3910-0005 ／ Fax：03-3910-0085

Admission:

Adults 300 yen
Elementary, junior high school, and high school students 100 yen
Three Museum Ticket: Adults 720yen / students 240yen
20% discount for groups of 20 or more

Related Events:Gallery Concert and Talk

Sunday, October 12 13:30-15:30
Reading Room, Seien Bunko, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
Piano

Chinatsu Masuda

Talk

Chinatsu and Akihisa Masuda.

* Due to capacity of the venue, attendance is limited to 40. Please reserve a seat via the internet（http://www.shibusawa.or.jp）. Reservations accepted on a first come first served basis.

Contacts
Megumi KAWAKAMI, Curator
Ruri KATO, Public Relations
Shibusawa Memorial Museum

http://www.shibusawa.or.jp

2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Tel：03-3910-0005 ／ Fax：03-3910-0085

2

Shibusawa Memorial Museum

FAX: 03-5567-7289
Application for the Use of Press Images
Attn. Mr. Jun Inoue
Director
Shibusawa Memorial Museum
Date:

//

Applicant Name:
Signature
Company/Institution:
Address:Tel:
I hereby apply for the use of images from the exhibition “Masuda Akihisa Photo Exhibition: Bankoro and Seien
Bunko” under the conditions stated below:
1. Images to be used〔〕 a. Meeting Room, Bankoro〔〕 b. Exterior of the Seien Bunko

2. Purpose of use (title of publication etc.)
3. Media*total number of pages：*length of the article：*circulation：

4. Date of issue
5. Details of usage
6. Conditions* The images must be borrowed in the form of printed media at the Shibusawa Memorial Museum andreturned to the Museum immediately after use.
* The provenance of the images must be clearly noted.
* The images cannot be used for purposes other than those stated in No.2 above.
* The applicant must send two copies of the publication to the Shibusawa Memorial Museum.
* The applicant must immediately inform the museum of any changes to the above information.