February 20, 2015

Large-scale Spinning by a Joint-stock Company
From March 14, the Shibusawa Memorial Museum will hold a special exhibition entitled “TheAdvancement of Modern Spinning: Shibusawa Eiichi and Toyobo.” The exhibition is part of theShibusawa Memorial Museum’s ongoing “Tracing the Origins of Companies” exhibition series that
explores various companies with which Shibusawa Eiichi was connected. This exhibition will look atEiichi’s approach to the spinning industry, with a focus on the establishment and early years ofToyobo.
This year Toyobo Co., Ltd. will celebrate 133 years since its establishment. Toyobo uses as theircorporate philosophy a proverb given to the company by Shibusawa Eiichi, “jun ri soku yu” (adheringto reason leads to prosperity). Eiichi’s involvement in Toyobo goes deeper, as he was was involved in
the establishment and growth of both Osaka Boseki and Mie Boseki, the two spinning companies thatmerged to form Toyobo. He had pushed for domestic production of cotton thread and fabric as he wasworried about the large amounts of cotton thread and cloth being imported to Japan for daily use. To
that end, Eiichi advocated for the importation of the newest spinning technologies and machines andhelping to establish a large scale modern spinning operation in the form of a joint-stock company. It
was with this solid foundation as a basis that the industry as a whole took off to the extent that cotton
thread and cloth became major Japanese exports.
“The Advancement of Modern Spinning: Shibusawa Eiichi and Toyobo”
Organized by:Dates:
Hours:
Closed:Venue:
Admission:

Shibusawa Memorial Museum, with support from Toyobo Co., Ltd.
Saturday, March 14 – Sunday, May 31, 2015
10:00 – 17:00 (last entry by 16:30)Mondays (with the exception of May 4) and March 24, April 30, and May 7
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 May 3, the anniversary of the founding of Toyobo

Contact: Miho Nagai (curator), Jungo Hoshino or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-5567-7289
or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details

February 20, 2015

Exhibition Highlights:- Documents related to the establishment and early years of Osaka Boseki, the first businessorganization to be involved with spinning in Japan with a focus on Eiichi’s involvement in thedevelopment of the spinning industry in Japan and the philosophy behind his actions- Important materials from the collections of Toyobo, including calligraphy penned by Eiichi
Exhibition Outline:
1) The Establishment of Osaka Boseki: Large-scale Spinning by a Joint-stock Company
2) The Establishment of Mie Boseki: Escaping from Privatized Spinning3) The Advance of the Spinning Industry: The Age of Spinning4) The Birth of Toyobo Co., Ltd.: A Worldwide Outlook5) Working towards the Unknown: Creating a Prosperous Future with Advanced Technology
Items to be Exhibited- Photograph of Shibusawa Eiichi, circa 1883 (from the collections of the Shibusawa MemorialMuseum)- Plan of Spinning Mill, 1881 (from the collections of the Shibusawa Memorial Museum)- Osaka Boseki Spinning Room, circa 1908 (from the collections of Toyobo Co., Ltd.)- Silver centerpiece received by Yamanobe Takeo, 1917 (from the collections of Toyobo Co., Ltd.)- Calligraphy by Shibusawa Eiichi – “jun ri soku yu” (from the collections of Toyobo Co., Ltd.)
Related Events:
The symposiums are in Japanese only. Attendance is free, but advance reservations are required.
Symposium 1
Date & Time:
Location:
Organized by:Panelists:

Moderator:
Symposium 2
Date & Time:
Location:
Organized by:Panelists:

Moderator:“Shibusawa Eiichi and Osaka: With a Focus on his Involvement with Companies
in the Kansai Area”
Thursday, April 16, 2015 18:30 – 20:45
Mengyo Club (Bingomachi 2-5-8, Chuo-ku, Osaka)
Toyobo Co., Ltd. and the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation,with support from the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Junji Tsumura, Senior Advisor, Toyobo Co., Ltd.
Shigetaka Sato, President, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Takeshi Abe, Professor, Kokushikan University
Yoshinobu Oikawa, Professor, Rikkyo University
Matao Miyamoto, Professor Emeritus, Osaka University“Shibusawa Eiichi and Toyobo”
Saturday, April 18, 2015 13:30 – 16:30
Shibusawa Memorial Museum
Toyobo Co., Ltd. and the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation
Matao Miyamoto, Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
Yoshiyuki Murakami, Corporate History Editorial Office, Toyobo Co., Ltd.
Kyohei Hirano, Associate Professor, Kobe University
Yasuhiro Ota, Professor, Tokuyama University
Takeshi Abe, Professor, Kokushikan University

Contact: Miho Nagai (curator), Jungo Hoshino or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-5567-7289
or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details

PRESS RELEASE
February 20, 2015

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, circa 1883
(Shibusawa Memorial MuseumCollection)

Yamanobe Takeo (Shibusawa
Memorial Museum Collection)

Ito Denshichi (Shibusawa
Memorial Museum Collection)

Plan of Spinning Mill, 1881 (Shibusawa
Memorial Museum Collection)

Osaka Boseki Spinning Room, circa 1908 (Toyobo Co.,Ltd. Collection)

Silver centerpiece received by Yamanobe Takeo,
1917 (Toyobo Co., Ltd. Collection)

Calligraphy by Shibusawa Eiichi – “jun ri soku yu” (ToyoboCo., Ltd. Collection)

Contact: Miho Nagai (curator), Jungo Hoshino or Ruri Kato (public relations) TEL 03-3910-0005 / FAX 03-5567-7289or visit http://www.shibusawa.or.jp/english for more details