Where was the Marunouchi Architectural Office built and what kind of building was it?

With the publication of "Marunouchi Architectural Drawings 1890-1973" (Shinkenchiku-sha) in 2020, we, the "Old Drawings Research Group," changed our name to the "Marunouchi Town Research Group" and, in addition to digging deeper into old drawings, we also organize information from old photographs in order to convey the history of Marunouchi in a more visual way. In this article, we would like to introduce the Marunouchi Architectural Office, where we began.

Marunouchi Architectural Office was established in 1890 (Meiji 23) within the Mitsubishi headquarters, which was then located in Kanda-Awajicho, and moved the following year to a temporary wooden building erected on the site of the former Yaesu Building as the on-site office for the construction of the "No. 1 Building." The building was a wooden structure built using traditional construction methods, with a rectangular, hipped roof, tiled roof, and clapboard siding. Marunouchi Architectural Office later moved to Kobe for a time, but was established on the third floor of the headquarters of the "No. 1 Building" in 1900 (Meiji 33), moved to the "No. 6 Building" in 1908 (Meiji 41), and in 1910 (Meiji 43), it came under the jurisdiction of the Land Department and moved to the "No. 11 Building." This was the beginning of the company's history as an in-house design office.

Meanwhile, after the Marunouchi Architectural Office moved to Kobe, the building was used as a club for Mitsubishi employees. It appears that the idea was given from the start to use the building as a club when its role as a site office was no longer necessary. In 1914 (Taisho 3), a judo and kendo hall was opened, as well as tennis courts and an archery range. It was later moved to the opposite site across Daimyo-koji to make way for the construction of the Yaesu Building, and continued to be used as a martial arts hall. Within the urban space that was once known as One Block London and One Block New York, which were modelled on the Western model, one can glimpse the continuity of Japan's vibrant lifestyle alongside its wooden architecture.

We would like to continue introducing the role that wooden architecture has played in modernizing streetscapes, urban functions, and working styles.