Yaesu Building (1928) [A masterpiece by Akira Fujimura, the key figure in inheriting the DNA]

During architectural design and construction supervision of the Marunouchi Building, our design team reached its peak since its founding. However, with the completion of the Maru Building, Chief Engineer Kotaro Sakurai and many other engineers left the company. Subsequently, Akira Fujimura assumed the role of head engineer. Fujimura joined the company in 1911 (Meiji 44), ahead of Sakurai and Juro Yamashita. He became Chief Engineer in 1932 (Showa 7). After the founding of Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. in 1939 (Showa 14), he served as president for a year and a half from December 1946 (Showa 21) and remained with the company as an advisor until 1963 (Showa 38). In other words, he experienced two peak periods: the construction of the Maru Building and the Marunouchi Renovation Project during the period of high economic growth. I believe that Akira Fujimura is the person who inherited the DNA from the prewar Mitsubishi Limited Partnership Company Estate Department to the postwar Mitsubishi Jisho Design Department.
Fujimura worked under Sakurai on the Mitsubishi Bank Head Office and Maru Building, and its post-earthquake restoration was his responsibility. However, his most notable project was the Yaesu Building of 1928 (Showa 3). Constructed of reinforced concrete in a style reminiscent of the late Classical period, its design echoes the Art Deco Maru Building. Based on a three-story structure, the base is made of solid Komatsu stone, the middle section features a series of light, repeating windows framed with green tiles, and the top is decorated with tiles and imitation stone. A symbolic tower sits on the northeast corner. While the building has since been replaced by the Marunouchi Park Building, traces of the Yaesu Building can still be seen in the tower and part of the base, there is in fact a building in Osaka that looks identical. The Osaka Norin Kaikan (formerly the Osaka branch of Mitsubishi Corporation) in Minamisenba was completed in 1930 (Showa 5), just two years after the Yaesu Building, and was, of course, designed by Akira Fujimura. You can rediscover the now-defunct Yaesu Building through the structure of the base, middle and cornice, the small windows framed with green tiles, the proportions of the sash split, the connection of the curved walls with the wall steps, the atmosphere of the entrance hall, the orange lower tiles in the corridor, the design of the wooden handrails on the stairs, and more. This retro building is also home to stylish shops and is well-used. If you are ever in Osaka, be sure to visit.