Our web series, "Rediscovering the Architectural Aesthetics Left Behind by Masanori Sugiyama," features a roundtable discussion with our company's designers!

In April 2025, the architectural web media "BUNGA NET" launched a series titled"Rediscovering the Architectural Aesthetics Left Behind by Masanori Sugiyama,"which traces the footsteps of architect Masanori Sugiyama (1904-1999), who was active at our company (then Mitsubishi Estate).

As the right-hand man of Antonin Raymond, an architect who had a profound influence on the world of Japanese architecture, Sugiyama contributed to masterpieces such as the Akaboshi Tetsuma Residence (1934) and the Tokyo Woman's Christian University Chapel (1937). During the war, he shifted his focus to Mitsubishi Estate, and during the period of rapid economic growth in the Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho areas, he worked on numerous buildings that would become the benchmark for office buildings in the area thereafter, including the Otemachi Building, the New Tokyo Building, the Yurakucho Building, and the New Yurakucho Building.
Sugiyama, who was involved in the growth and development of the region from the red brick town of the Meiji era to the modern office district, can be said to be an architect who contributed to the modernization of Japan's cities and economy andis a leading figure in today's Mitsubishi Jisho Design.

This series, written by Motoharu Taneda (Associate Professor at Bunka Gakuen University), and with the cooperation of various academics and stakeholders, will unravel various narratives and the buildings designed by Sugiyama, revealing his hidden character and achievements.

In this ninth installment, titled "Interim Report Roundtable Discussion: What We Learned from the 'Sugimoto Seal' Investigation, and the Deepening Mysteries,"​ we hold a roundtable discussion with our Masanori Sugiyama research team: Fellows Tomoyoshi Ejima and Yasuhiro Sube, Chief Architect Chen Di, and Planner Taku Wanibuchi, along with the author, Motoharu Taneda. We will discuss in detail why this series began and why we have come to focus on Sugiyama now, together with the four people who are following Sugiyama at our company. Furthermore, we will report on the outline of our recent comprehensive survey of architectural drawings designed and stamped by Sugiyama during his tenure, and delve into the full scope of his work.

Masanori Sugiyama, a designer who honed his skills under Antonin Raymond before the war and later worked in the design department of Mitsubishi Estate, was active in many fields, including urban development in Marunouchi during the period of rapid economic growth. Respected as "big brother" by the master architect Junzo Yoshimura, and responsible for numerous Raymond masterpieces, Sugiyama's character has long been shrouded in mystery. This is the first-ever series to delve into the life of Sugiyama.Not only will it cover our company's history, but it will also offer a new perspective on the history of modern Japanese architecture, so please take a look.