Since its founding in 1858, Marubeni has pursued the aesthetic beauty of Japan through its textile business. Later, as the company expanded its business internationally, it also played a role in introducing Western aesthetics to Japan. In the 20th century, over a period of several decades, Marubeni acquired numerous works that showcase the aesthetic beauty of both East and West, including garments from Japan’s early modern period that inspired the Japonisme art movement in the West as well as works by Western artists who influenced modern Japanese painting. These are now an important part of the Marubeni Collection, which offers a unique view into the cultural exchanges that have taken place between Japan and the West, particularly Europe. Recognizing the value of these historical and cultural insights, Marubeni opened the Marubeni Gallery in November 2021 to more widely share the collection’s works. Designed under the concept of “a space where the aesthetics of the East and West in ancient and modern times resonate with each other”, the Marubeni Gallery today not only displays works from the Marubeni Collection, but also collaborates with various artists and museums to present other valuable works of art to the public.

Marubeni Gallery

Approximately 400 dyed and woven textile pieces, mainly from the Edo period, are housed in and managed under the Marubeni Collection. Marubeni undertakes long-term conservation and repair work over 10-year periods for textile pieces that have undergone severe deterioration and for which work is urgently required, as well as pieces with high cultural value.

Among such pieces, Furisode (Garment with long hanging sleeves) with Design of Latticework, Chrysanthemums, Paste-resist (Yuzen) and Embroidery on Parti-colored Silk Crepe (Chirimen), which was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2020, was first acquired by Marubeni—a company with its origins as a wholesaler of textiles—when the company was collecting and conducting research into ancient textiles in the late 1920s to the 1930s. This piece is a rare example of the dyed and woven textiles of the era, with an examination of the ink inscription on the sash sewn on the back revealing the identity of the wearer, to whom it was dedicated at an ancestral temple in 1730, as well as other historical details. In 2023, with support from the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Marubeni embarked on an ongoing two-year conservation and repair project for this piece to ensure that it is passed down to future generations as a key surviving example of traditional textiles of high cultural and historical value.

Important Cultural Property Conservation and Repair Project Videos and Information

〈Marubeni Official YouTube Page〉
Important Cultural Property Conservation and Repair Project | #1 Prologue
Important Cultural Property Conservation and Repair Project | #2 Construction of Repair Materials

Every May, volunteers from Marubeni help to carry the mikoshi shrines for Tokyo’s Kanda Matsuri Festival, as part of contribution to the local community and support the continuation of traditional culture. Employees of Marubeni Group companies located in the Otemachi and Marunouchi areas gather each year, together with their families and friends. In May 2024, 131 volunteers from Marubeni took part in this festival.