The 1830s woodblock print by Hasegawa Settan shown here depicts Surugacho, now in the neighborhood of the Mitsukoshi department store one block north of Nihonbashi Bridge in the center of Tokyo. Rendered with excellent visual accuracy, it seems to be humming in praise of the wealth and prosperity of the Mitsui family, as even Mount Fuji joins in from a distance.
The Mitsui family's roots in this area go back to the 17th century, when, diversifying from their original textile business into finance, they began their ascent to become the Mitsui financial and industrial zaibatsu. Notice all the stores in the picture sporting the circle-and-crosses logo of Echigoya, the name of the Mitsui textile business.
The crossroads in the foreground is where our walk finished last month (JT, Feb. 6), at Kiya on Chuo-dori. As you stand with Mitsukoshi in front of you, you will be facing the street shown here. The left-hand cluster of tile-roofed buildings has evolved into the art-nouveau style Mitsukoshi, while the right-hand section is now the Mitsui Main Building with its fluted, Corinthian-style columns.
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