Pine stakes from the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan

Throughout the morning, the excavation work proceeded carefully under the watchful eye of those involved. After digging nearly four meters from ground level, the stratum turned to black clay. Sheet piles believed to have been used in the construction of the Mitsubishi Shoji Building were found there, along with fragments of bricks likely from the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan. However, no direct traces were readily apparent. We decided to dig a little further, and after making two or three trips with a power shovel, we felt something underground. The site manager carefully excavated around the area, and a log emerged, standing underground. I was certain it was the pine pile used in the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan. The pile location map for the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan indicated that the pile was exactly where it should have been. The pine pile, reappearing after more than a century, felt like a wonderful gift to the restoration project.

Mitsubishi Estate left detailed records and photographs when the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan was demolished. They also salvaged several components, such as stone window frames and cast iron ridge ornaments. Of course, Conder's sketches and original blueprints have been carefully preserved and passed on to Mitsubishi Jisho Design. Using the remaining documents, it is possible to approach the original building by procuring materials similar to those from that time and recreating the construction process. However, this would amount to little more than a technical restoration, and I wanted something that would allow me to sense the presence of the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan, the origin of Mitsubishi Jisho Design Jisho Sekkei, and the people who were involved in its construction.

When I touched the pine stakes that had appeared for the first time in over a hundred years, something warm flowed through my heart. It was a moment of connection with the people who had been involved with the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan, such as Josiah Conder and Tatsuzo Sone.

The restoration of Mitsubishi Ichigokan will be completed in the spring of 2009, and the building will be reborn as a museum that will mark a new stage in Marunouchi.