Pine stakes from the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan

In the morning, the excavation work was carried out carefully under the watchful eyes of those involved. When the ground was dug to about 4m above ground, the layer turned into a black clay layer. There were sheet piles that were probably used in the construction of the Mitsubishi Shoji Building, and around them were pieces of bricks that were probably used in the old Mitsubishi Ichigokan. However, direct traces were hard to find. We decided to dig a little further, so we made two or three trips with the power shovel, and felt something underground. When the site staff carefully excavated around it, a log standing in the ground appeared. I was sure that it was the pine pile used in the old Mitsubishi Ichigokan. This was exactly where the piles were located, based on the pile location map of the old Mitsubishi Ichigokan. The pine piles that appeared after a hundred years felt like a great gift to the restoration work.

Mitsubishi Estate left detailed records and photographs when the former Mitsubishi Ichigokan was demolished. They also salvaged some of the building's components, such as the 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 get close to the original building by procuring materials similar to those used at the 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 starting point of Mitsubishi Jisho Design, and the people who were involved in its construction.

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

The restoration of Mitsubishi Ichigokan is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2009, and the building will be reborn as an art museum that will mark a new stage in Marunouchi.