ARTISTS
Mitsukoshi [三越] (1673-today)
Takatoshi Mitsui
| Echigoya, a kimono fabrics merchandising company, was founded at Edo Honcho (present day Tokyo) by Takatoshi Mitsui. | |
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Echigoya print. Circa 1673. |
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| The store moved to Surugacho (the site of our present Main Store) and also conducted business as a money exchanger. | |
| Established another store dealing in kimono fabrics and money Exchange, at Koraibashi, Osaka. | |
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Echigoya, the predecessor of the Mitsukoshi. |
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| Echigoya was incorporated and became Mitsui Gofukuten. | |
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Echigoya (left), Mitsui group (right) and Mitsui bank (behind). Circa 1900. |
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| Yoshio Takahashi became manager and started full-fledged reorganization of Mitsui Gofukuten. | |
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Inside the Nihombachi store in 1894 (left) and 1904 (right). |
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| The name was changed from the Mitsui family's Echigoya to Mitsukoshi Gofukuten Co., Ltd. Osuke Hibi [日比翁助] became its first senior managing director and went on to establish the company as Japan's first department store. | |
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Nihombashi Main Store (left) and Osuke Hibi (right) in 1904. |
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| Intruduction of the first delivery car. | |
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Mitsukoshi first delivery car. |
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| Opened the first restaurant inside the store and established the Fine Arts Department. | |
| Completed the new building to house the Main Store at Nihombashi. This new structure brought the concept of the department store into a new age. The now famous massive lion statues that flank the store's entrance, soon became a landmark for shoppers as did Japan's first escalator inside its main entrance. | |
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New building featuring Renaissance-style (1914). |
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| The Nihombashi Main Store burned to the ground during the Great Kanto Earthquake. | |
| The Main Store was rebuilt and reopened. When the store reopened, the custom of collecting customers' shoes at the entrance was discontinued. | |
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Rebuilt store in 1925, after the Great Great Kanto Earthquake. |
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| Opened Mitsukoshi Hall (presently Mitsukoshi Theater) at the Nihombashi Main Store. Held Japan's first fashion show. | |
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Mitsukoshi store in Dalian (Dairen), China in 1912 (left) and 1927 (right). |
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| The corporate name was changed from Mitsukoshi Gofukuten Co., Ltd. to Mitsukoshi, Ltd. | |
| The Shinjuku Store was opened. | |
| Opened the Ginza Store. The Nihombashi Main Store began serving lunches especially for children, at its restaurant. | |
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Mitsukoshi stores in Ginza (left) and Osaka (right). |
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| The Takamatsu Store was opened. | |
| The subway station, Mitsukoshi-mae was opened and connected to the basement floor of the Nihombashi Main Store. The Sapporo Store was opened. | |
| The Sendai Store was opened. | |
| The Matsuyama Store was opened, making it the first store opened following WWII. | |
| Established Mitsukoshi Clinic, presently Mitsukoshi Welfare Corporation. | |
| Began using floral wrapping paper designed by Genichiro Inokuma in all its stores. | |
| The Ikebukuro Store was opened. | |
| Displayed a statue of Magokoro, which is intended to represent representing sincerity, in the central hall of the Nihombashi Main Store. "The statue of goddess Magokoro" is a masterpiece of Mr. Gengen Sato who spent more than 10 years at the task after it was commissioned by Mitsukoshi Ltd. | |
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Statue of Magokoro before (left) and after (right) installation in the Nihombashi Main Store. |
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| Opened the first overseas store, Paris Mitsukoshi. | |
| The Hiroshima and Yokohama stores were opened. | |
| The Kurashiki Store was opened. | |
| The Board of Directors' meeting dismissed Mr. Okada from offices President and Representative Director. | |
| Opened the Disney World Store in Florida. | |
| Prince Charles and Princess Diana, visited the Nihombashi Main Store. | |
| Opened the first Shinko Mitsukoshi Store in Taipei. | |
| Opened Mitsukoshi Etoile Store, in Paris. | |
| Opened the Ebisu Store as the core of the Ebisu Garden Place. | |
| Opened a new building in the Osaka Store to replace the one damaged in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Inaugurated the Mitsukoshi Credit Card System. Launched Mitsukoshi's website on the Internet. | |
| The Fukuoka Store was opened. | |
| The Tama Center Store was opened. | |
| The Kichijoji Store was opened (but closed in 2006). | |
| New Mitsukoshi, Ltd. was established by merging the five main stores at Nihombashi's Main Store with stores in Nagoya, Chiba, Kagoshima and Fukuoka. | |
| Celebrated 100th anniversary of Mitsukoshi, Ltd. Opened the new Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store upon completion of a new building. | |
| Opened Lachic as specialty store, in Nagoya. Reorganized business operations at the Shinjuku Store under the new name, Alcot. Awarded the Grand Prize at the Mecenat Awards 2005. Closed the Osaka, Hirakata, Kurashiki and Yokohama stores as part of a 5-year medium-term reorganization plan. Formulated and promoted our New Mitsukoshi Model for enhancing the value of Mitsukoshi brand merchandise. | |
| Opened the Musashi Murayama Store for the first time as a ‘suburban store,' at the Diamond City mu (presently Aeon Mall Musashimurayama mu) shopping center. Held the Brasilie Exhibition and the Kabuki Kimono Exhibition at the Mitsukoshi Etoile, in Paris. | |
| Formulated and publicized our Mitsukoshi Brand Renaissance Six-Year Plan. Opened the Natori Store at the Diamond City airy (presently Aeon Mall Natori airy) shopping center, in Miyagi Prefecture. Celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Fine Arts Department. Celebrated the 280th anniversary of the founding of the Mitsukoshi Theater. |
