2009 No.05, March 9, 2010

Special Exhibition

Shibusawa Eiichi and Albert Kahn:
Exchanges of Two Businessmen of Japan and France
Co-organized by the Shibusawa Memorial Museum andthe Département des Hauts-de-Seine, Musée Albert-Kahn, France
Supported by the Embassy of France in Japan and the Maison Franco-Japonaise

Dates:

Saturday 20 March - Wednesday 5 May, 2010
10:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed March 23, 29, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 30

Venue: Special Exhibition Hall, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Tel：03-3910-0005 ／ Fax：03-5567-7289① Albert Kahn

② Eiichi Shibusawa

Oji station south exit, JR Keihin Tohoku Line: 5 min.
Nishigahara station or Oji station, Tokyo Metro Namboku Line: 9 min.
Asukayama stop, Toei Streetcar Arakawa Line: 4 min.
Asukayama stop, Toei Bus: 5 min.
Admission:

Individuals 300 yen
Elementary, junior high school, and high school students 100 yen
A 20% discount is available for visitors who say “Bonjour!” in French to thereceptionist.

Contacts:

Megumi KAWAKAMI, Curator
Ruri KATO, Public Relations
Shibusawa Memorial Museum
2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, TokyoTel：03-3910-0005 / Fax：03-5567-7289
http://www.shibusawa.or.jp
http://www.eiichi-kahn.jp1

2009 No.05, March 9, 2010

Concept of the Exhibition
The Shibusawa Memorial Museum organizes a special exhibition focused on two businessmen fromJapan and France, who were active from the late 19th to the early 20th century: Eiichi Shibusawa, oneof the leaders who contributed to build the foundation of Japan’s modern economic society; andAlbert Kahn, French banker.
Shibusawa and Kahn met face to face for three times: in 1897 and 1908 when Kahn visited Japan, andin 1902 when Shibusawa visited France.

They discussed about various topics including the financial

issues between Japan and France, and invited each other to their private residences.
Kahn devoted himself to the Archives of the Planet, a project to train and dispatch photographers tomore than 60 countries in purpose of recording the life, customs, and natural environment there byphotos and films.

This exhibition is going to be the first showcase of the Albert-Kahn Museum’s

precious collection in Japan.

The oldest color photo shown in the exhibition dates back to 1908.

Also introduced in the exhibition are the documents and materials to testify the exchange ofShibusawa and Kahn.

Some aspects of the world and Japan in their time will be represented througha combination of historical materials and visual images in this collaborative exhibition honoring theclose tie of the two leading businessmen.
2010 marks the 170th anniversary of Eiichi Shibusawa’s birth and the 150th anniversary of Albert
Kahn’s.

The Albert-Kahn Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt, France is planning to hold anexhibition entitled “Japan 1910-1930: Tradition and Modernity” from November 8*, 2010 toSeptember 4, 2011 in cooperation with the Shibusawa Memorial Museum.
(* The date of the France exhibition has been changed from the press release on February 24.)

Organization of the Exhibition
Eiichi Shibusawa and Albert Kahn in 1867
I. The Association between Eiichi Shibusawa and Albert Kahn
II. Eiichi Shibusawa, Albert Kahn and the Times They Lived in as Seen
III. The Kahn Overseas Travel Foundation
A Message from Albert Kahn and Eiichi Shibusawa

Exhibitsz Letters and documents to testify the exchanges between Shibusawa and Kahn,z Slide show of 250 black and white photos and autochrome photos of the world taken 1908 – 1931,z 60 printed black and white photos and autochrome photos of the world and Japan taken 1908 – 1930,z The camera used for the Archives of the Planet (1910),
z The camera trunk made by Louis Vuitton (1929) and more.

2

2009 No.05, March 9, 2010

Publication
Exhibition catalogue will be published in March, 2010 and sold for 1,000 yen at the museum shop.

Related Events
1. Lecture“The World of Autochrome Photos of 100 Years Ago: from the Albert Kahn Collection”
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 13:30-15:00
Lecturer: Ronan Guinée, photographer, Albert-Kahn Museum
Venue: Meeting room, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
French-Japanese interpretation available.
No fee beyond the admission of the museum is required.
Attendance is limited to 30.
2. Workshop“Discover and Understand the Autochrome of 100 Years Ago”
Date: Monday (holiday), March 22, 2010, 13:30-15:00
Lecturer: Ronan Guinée, photographer, Albert-Kahn Museum
Venue: Meeting room, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
French-Japanese interpretation available.
No fee beyond the admission of the museum is required.
Attendance is limited to 10 elementary school children and their parents.
3. ConcertChanson at Seien Bunko Library
Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 14:00-15:00
Erina Yugami, singer
Venue: Seien Bunko Library, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
No fee beyond the admission of the museum is required.
To attend the events, please reserve a seat by sending a post card to the museum with the event title,
your name, postal address, age and telephone number, or make a reservation via the internet(http://www.shibusawa.or.jp). Reservations accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.
For reservation and information, please contact the Shibusawa Memorial Museum 2-16-1 Nishigahara,Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0024 (Tel: 03-3910-0005)

3

2009 No.05, March 9, 2010

Events co-organized with the Maison Franco-Japonaise
Symposium “Eiichi Shibusawa and Albert Kahn: Exchanges between Two Businessmen andPhilanthropists of Japan and France”
Supported by the Embassy of France in Japan
Date: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 14:00-17:00
Venue: Auditorium, Maison Franco-Japonaise(3-9-25 Ebisu Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013, Tel: 03-5424-1141 Fax: 03-5424-1200)
Moderator: Megumi Nishikawa, Mainichi Shimbun
Panelists: Eiko Imahashi, University of Tokyo
Gilles Baud-Berthier, Albert-Kahn Museum
Masato Kimura, Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation
Commentators: Masakazu Shimada, Bunkyo Gakuin University
Junichi Tomioka, The Japan Foundation
For more information, please contact the research department, Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial
Foundation (Tel: 03-3910-2314)

Exhibition at the entrance hall “Eiichi Shibusawa and France”
March 2 – 30, 2010
Entrance hall, the Maison Franco-Japonaise

42009 No.05, March 9, 2010
Albert Kahn was born in 1860 in Alsace, France.

Afterworking his way through higher education in Paris, he made ahuge success as a banker.

Convinced that peace is built on afoundation of mutual understanding among people of the world,
he devoted his wealth to the projects such as the “OverseasTravel Foundation” to send young scholars of various countries
to abroad and the “Archives of the Planet” to dispatch
photographers to record the people and customs of about 60
countries.

Kahn also traveled to many different parts of theworld himself.

③ Albert Kahn with the Prince
Kitashirakawa and Princess Fusako at
his villa, 1923

He was especially attracted to Japan and visited there in 1896, 1897 and 1908.

Hehad contacts with major businessmen and politicians including Eiichi Shibusawa and Shigenobu
Okuma, and imperial family members such as Princes Kitashirakawa and Asaka.
Eiichi Shibusawa was born in 1840 in now Fukaya, Saitama prefecture.

He accompanied Akitake

Tokugawa in the official Japanese delegation to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867.

During hisstay in France, Shibusawa observed firsthand the advanced technology and culture of Europeannations.

After returning to Japan, he was involved in establishment and management of more than

500 companies.

He was also active in non-governmental diplomacy and social welfare.

He is said

to be one of the leaders who built the founding of the modern economic society of Japan.
The Archives of the Planet conserved at the Albert-Kahn Museum is a
precious collection of about 80,000 black and white and color photos and120-hour films from 1908 to 1931.

The autochrome photos of thecollection show us vivid images of the world at the time even today
80-100 years after they were taken.
Kahn’s photographers visited Japan for three times.

In 1908, a

photographer joined Kahn’s second trip to Japan and took more than 500
black and white stereophotohs.

The photographer’s travel diary gives us④ Camera used for theArchives of the Planet（1910）

clues to identify the photo sites and to know what Kahn saw andexperienced during his stay.

The exhibition also includes theautochrome photos taken by two other photographers in 1912 and1926-1927 respectively. All these photos are valuable records of Tokyo,
Kyoto, Nara and many other places in Japan in early 20th century.
⑤ Trunk for camera madeby Louis Vuitton（1929）5

2009 No.05, March 9, 2010

In this exhibition “Shibusawa Eiichi and Albert Kahn,” more than 300 autochrome and black andwhite photos of the world and Japan will be shown by prints and slide show.

⑥ United States, 1908

⑦ Sweden, 1910

⑧ France, 1918

⑩ Japan, 1926
⑨ Japan, 1912

6Images for the press
The images in this press release are available for press use. Please fill in the attached application form
and fax it to the Shibusawa Memorial Museum.
① Albert Kahn ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France② Eiichi Shibusawa ©Shibusawa Memorial Museum③ Albert Kahn with the Prince Kitashirakawa and Princess Fusako at his villa, 1923 ©Muséedépartemental Albert-Kahn, France④ Camera used for the Archives of the Planet（1910） ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn,France⑤ Trunk for camera made by Louis Vuitton（1929）©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France⑥ United Stetes, 1908 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France⑦ Sweden, 1910 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France⑧ France, 1918 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France⑨ Japan (geisha and maiko), 1926 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France⑩ Japan (Tokyo station), 1912 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France
Conditions of the usage of the images:・・・・The provenance of the images must be clearly stated.
Trimming, decoration and any kind of alternation of the images are prohibited.
Please send the draft of the articles to the Shibusawa Memorial Museum by fax before
publication.
The images cannot be sent by attaching to e-mails but by CDs.

Press preview of the exhibition
Thursday, March, 18, 2010 14:00-15:00
Meeting room, Shibusawa Memorial Foundation
To attend, please fill the form and send it to the Shibusawa Memorial Museum by fax or e-mail.
Contacts: Megumi KAWAKAMI, Curator
Ruri KATO, Public Relations
Shibusawa Memorial Museum
2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Tel：03-3910-0005 / Fax：03-3910-0085

About the SHIBUSAWA MEMORIAL MUSEUM
The Shibusawa Memorial Museum collects and displays documents and artifacts from thelife of Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931), a leader in business and finance who fostered thegrowth and development of the modern Japanese economy. Throughout his life headvocated for the harmony of morality and economy; playing an important role not onlyin the business world but in the fields of social welfare, education and private-sector
diplomacy as well.

To Shibusawa Memorial MuseumFAX: 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:
E-mail:I hereby apply for the use of images from the exhibition “Shibusawa Eiichi and Albert Kahn: Exchanges of Two
Businessmen of Japan and France” under the conditions stated below:
１．Images to be used〔〕① Albert Kahn ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕② Eiichi Shibusawa ©Shibusawa Memorial Museum〔〕③ Albert Kahn with the Prince Kitashirakawa and Princess Fusako at his villa, 1923 ©Muséedépartemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕④ Camera used for the Archives of the Planet（1910） ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑤ Trunk for camera made by Louis Vuitton（1929）©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑥ United Stetes, 1908 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑦ Sweden, 1910 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑧ France, 1918 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑨ Japan (geisha and maiko), 1926 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France〔〕⑩ Japan (Tokyo station), 1912 ©Musée départemental Albert-Kahn, France2. Purpose of use
3. Title of the media
4. Type of the media〔 〕TV 〔 〕Radio 〔 〕Newspaper 〔Others
5. Specification of the publication
Total page numbers:
Number of issues:〕Magazine 〔 〕Free newspaper 〔Page numbers of the article:
Price:

6. Date of issue
7. Details of usage
8. Conditions* 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.

〕Internet 〔〕Press Preview on March, 18, 2010
Fax: 03-5567-7289

Shibusawa Eiichi and Albert Kahn:
Exchanges of Two Businessmen of Japan and France
Press Preview
March, 18, 2010, 14:00-15:00
Shibusawa Memorial Museum
To attend the press preview of the exhibition, please fill this form and send it to the Shibusawa
Memorial Museum by fax, or send the information by e-mail to rkato@shibusawa.or.jp

Affiliation
NameAddress
Tel.
E-mailPlease show this sheet at the reception of the preview.

Venue: Meeting room, Shibusawa Memorial Museum
2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo
Tel：03-3910-0005 ／ Fax：03-5567-7289
Oji station south exit, JR Keihin Tohoku Line: 5 min.
Nishigahara station or Oji station, Tokyo Metro Namboku Line: 9 min.
Asukayama stop, Toei Streetcar Arakawa Line: 4 min.
Asukayama stop, Toei Bus: 5 min.