Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum was opened in April 2010. It is a restoration of the original Mitsubishi Ichigokan built in the Meiji Period. This museum holds three to four exhibitions a year with a different perspective each time. They are mainly centered around the modern arts from 19th century to early 20th century. This period is the point of origin of the modern civil society or industrial society. The three-story exhibition space, consisting of several small exhibit rooms, makes art familiar in city life as they say it is "a museum as the center of city life".

Mitsubishi Ichigokan building was the first office building built in Marunouchi. It was designed by a British architect Josiah Conder (1852~1920) in 1894 (27th year of the Meiji Period) who was known for designing Rokumeikan. The red brick exterior in the Queen Ann style which was popular in the late 19th century England was considered a representation of Japan's modernization. It also lead people to build many office buildings made of bricks in this area. They called this area "Iccho London" and it was favored very much by the people. However, it was torn down in 1968 (43rd year of the Showa Period) as it had become too old. In April 2010, after nearly forty years from then, Mitsubishi Ichigokan was rebuilt at the same location based on the Conder's original design to be a Museum. In time of the restoration, thorough investigations were made. It includes examinations of design drawings from the Meiji Period, detailed checking of the teardown measurements, other various documents, photographs and preserved members. Not only reusing the design and preserved building members for its interior, they faithfully reproduced the fabrication method and the building technology. And also many experimental approaches were taken in the course of the restoration.

Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum have great collections of arts and craftworks in storage from 19th century to early 20th century, though they do not have permanent exhibition rooms for those artworks. The collections include Maurice Joyant Collection which is of some 250 works of graphic arts previously owned by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 - 1901), block prints from late 19th century, and John and Miyoko Unno Davey Collectiony arts and crafts that were collected by an art collector in New York with a theme "Japonism In Life".

This new art museum located in Marunouchi Tokyo is a place where we can feel the heat and elevated mood of city in late 19th century, which was the origin of our city life. Having surrounding galleries, shops, restaurants, and cafes, this will be the birth of an art museum that makes us feel like promenading 21st century city life.

Address: 2-6-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: +81-(0)3-5405-8686
Open: (Wed. - Fri.)10:00 - 20:00, (others) 10:00 - 18:00, closed on Monday
Website: http://mimt.jp/english/