PRESS RELEASE
September 1, 2014

Eiichi’s Thoughts on the Founding of a Private Sector Economic Organization
From October 4 to November 30, 2014, the Shibusawa Memorial Museum will hold a special
exhibition entitled “Uniting the Minds of Merchants: Shibusawa Eiichi and the Tokyo Chamber ofCommerce.” The exhibition is part of the Shibusawa Memorial Museum’s ongoing “Tracing theOrigins of Companies” exhibition series that explores the various companies with which Shibusawa
Eiichi was connected.
Today the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tokyo Shoko Kaigisho) is involved in arange of activities as a private sector economic organization. It traces its origins to various sources
including the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (Tokyo Shoho Kaigisho), established in 1878. Shibusawa
Eiichi was the first president of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and continued to play a central rolein the organization, staying president as the Chamber was reorganized and renamed. In so doing,
Eiichi was at the forefront of efforts to bring merchants together and build a shared outlook.
Through various related documents and other materials, this exhibition will look at the foundingand activities of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce as well as Eiichi’s thoughts on and relationshipwith the Chamber. Furthermore, the exhibition will trace the origins of today’s Tokyo Chamber ofCommerce and Industry by linking it to the early Tokyo Chamber of Commerce.
“Uniting the Minds of Merchants: Shibusawa Eiichi and the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce”
Organized by:

Shibusawa Memorial Museumwith support from the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry(Part of Tokyo Heritage Week 2014)

Dates:
Hours:
Closed:Venue:
Admission:

Saturday, October 4 – Sunday, November 30, 2014
10:00 – 17:00 (last entry by 16:30)
October 6, 14, 20, 27, and November 4, 10, 17, 25
Special Exhibition Hall, Shibusawa Memorial Museum(2-16-1 Nishigahara, Kita-ku, Tokyo)
Adults 300 yen, children (up to 18 years) 100 yenGroup rates and other discounts available
Free admission on October 4-5 and November 9

Contact: Hitoshi Sekine (curator) or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-3910-0085
or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details

PRESS RELEASE
September 1, 2014

Exhibition Outline:Prologue – Building Public Opinion on Merchants
Chapter 1 – The Tokyo Chamber (Tokyo Kaigisho), the Precursor to the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce(Tokyo Shoho Kaigisho)
Chapter 2 – Establishment of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (Tokyo Shoho Kaigisho)
Chapter 3 – Activities of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (Tokyo Shoho Kaigisho)
Chapter 4 – Tokyo Commerce and Industry Society (Tokyo Shokokai)
Chapter 5 – The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (Tokyo Shogyo Kaigisho)
Epilogue – The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tokyo Shoko Kaigisho) of Today andTomorrow
Also – a digital exhibition and “kids exhibit”
Items to be Exhibited (Proposed)- Application for the Establishment of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (1877) [from thecollections of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry]- Regulations and Rules of Proceedings of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (1878)- Records of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce Volume 1 (1879)- Proposals, Surveys, and other papers from the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce [from the collectionsof the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry]- Letter to Shibusawa Eiichi from the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce (1879)- Words of Thanks from the Tokyo Commerce and Industry Society (1891)- Letter of Thanks from the Honorary Commercial Commissioners of Japan to the United States ofAmerica, on Nishijin fabric (1910)- Shibusawa Eiichi’s speeches to the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce* Items from the collections of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be exhibited in theform of reproductions or digital images *Related Events:
Symposium – The Challenge of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce: Giving Shape to Shibusawa
Eiichi’s Ideals
Date & Time:
Friday, November 7, 2014
19:00 – 21:00
Location:
Tosho Hall, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry(Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Panelists:
Kaoru Iokibe, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo
Shinya Sugiyama, Professor Emeritus, Keio University
Akio Mimura, Chairman, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Moderator:
Matao Miyamoto, Director, Entrepreneurial Museum of Challenge and Innovation
The symposium is in Japanese only
Attendance:
500 persons (attendance is free, but advance reservations are required)
To attend either:A) reserve a spot through the special event registration page on the Shibusawa Eiichi
Memorial Foundation website (http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/ Japanese only), orB) register by post with a postcard with reply card (ofuku hagaki) with your name, address,telephone number, send your card to the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation, attention“November 7th Event Desk.” Each postcard can be used to apply for up to two people, besure to provide both names.

Contact: Hitoshi Sekine (curator) or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-3910-0085
or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details

PRESS RELEASE
September 1, 2014

Images for Press Use
The following images have been prepared for press use (images will be made available insmall-size digital format of approximately 300KB). If you wish to use any of the images
please contact the Shibusawa Memorial Museum by phone or fax.
 Shibusawa Eiichi (1883)

 Records of the Tokyo Chamberof Commerce Volume 1 (1879)

 Letter to Shibusawa Eiichi from theTokyo Chamber of Commerce (1879)

 Words of Thanks from the Tokyo
Commerce and Industry Society (1891)

 Letter of Thanks from the Honorary
Commercial Commissioners of Japanto the United States of America,
on Nishijin fabric (1910)

Contact: Hitoshi Sekine (curator) or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-3910-0085
or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details