After the capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869, the government of Kyoto Prefecture established a series of industrial facilities in the Kiyamachi-Nijo district to introduce state-of-the-art technology from Europe and the United States to help modernize Japan. In such turbulent times, Genzo Shimadzu Senior switched his business from manufacturing Buddhist altar fittings to educational instruments for studying physics and chemistry. He believed science and technology were important and thought that education based on them should be carried out.
This belief was passed down to his eldest son, Genzo Junior. Genzo Junior used his talent for invention and innovation, inherited from his father, to not only manufacture physics and chemistry instruments but also develop new business fields, such as medical X-ray systems and storage batteries.
SHIMADZU
FOUNDATION MEMORIAL MUSEUMAbout the Museum
The Shimadzu Foundation Memorial Museum, SFMM, is located in the Kiyamachi-Nijo district. This place is the originally founding site of Shimadzu Corporation and where its history began.
History of Shimadzu’s Foundation
Buildings
Both Genzos used this site as the Shimadzu Head Office and their residence for 45 years, from 1875 to 1919. Of the two existing buildings, the south building was added in 1888 and the north building in 1894. Both are two-story Machiya-style wooden structures that feature a blend of Japanese and Western elements, such as stained-glass windows. In 1999, they were designated as national “Registered Tangible Cultural Properties” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and in 2007, certified as “Heritage of Industrial Modernization” properties by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Downloading
the Visitors Navigation App
Download the app to your smartphone or tablet and use it to navigate around the museum (available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean). Please use earphones when listening to the audio guide.
Note: You can use the Visitors Navigation App more smoothly if you install it in advance.
