Collection and preservation of historical materials

We have collected and stored a wide range of Mitsubishi-related historical materials and the management and business documents of Mitsubishi Group companies, including the founding of Mitsubishi in 1870, the dismantling of the Mitsubishi head office in the 1940s, the establishment of the new Mitsubishi Group thereafter.
Each historical document is attached a number and registered in the historical document managing system.
The number of historical materials in the collection is about 105,000 as of the end of March 2023, and we are working to collect more.

Publication, research, and presentation of historical materials

In principle, the historical materials in our collection are open to the public and are provided to researchers nationwide by viewing them as microfilms or digitized images in the browsing room.
In addition to full-time researchers, Tetsuji Okazaki and Makoto Kasuya, professors at the Graduate School of Economics, the University of Tokyo, and Hisayuki Oshima, professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, Takachiho University, are working as concurrent researchers.
The results of research using historical materials in the collection are published annually as the "Mitsubishi Archives Review", which is donated to domestic and overseas universities and research institutes, the general public also subscribes. From September 2023, it will be open to the public via the Internet (J-STAGE).
We also publish and distribute reprints of "Iwasaki Tozan Sensei Biography" compiled in the Taisho period.

Dissemination of historical knowledge

In the exhibition room, panels explain the history of Mitsubishi along with historical background in an easy-to-understand manner. In addition, some of the historical materials (approximately 100 items) are exhibited and open to the public.
We also create and distribute booklets and DVDs to help you understand the history of industrial development in Mitsubishi and Japan.
In addition, we have digitized the reprinted version of “Mitsubishi Shashi” and provide as e-books and on-demand publications. Further, we also provide various reference services and respond to various inquiries from outside.

Content

The statue of Yataro Iwasaki is placed at the entrance of the exhibition room, and the calligraphy of Yataro, the mask of the Okame, and the “Three Principles” (written by Koyata Iwasaki) are placed in front, and the history and background of Mitsubishi since its founding in the early Meiji period is explained in an easy-to-understand manner on the panel. Historical materials such as First Order (1875), Request for Borrowing from Nagasaki Shipyard (1884), Marunouchi Proceeds Receipt (1890), Sado and Ikuno Mine and Osaka Smelter's Notice of Successful Bids (1896), and the Dissolution Notice of Mitsubishi Headquarters Co., Ltd. (1946) are displayed, each of which tell the history of industrial development of Mitsubishi and Japan.

For more information about the exhibition room, please see leaflet PDF(in Japanese).

Usage guide

Browsing

In principle, the historical materials in the collection are open to the public and can be viewed in microfilm and digital data in the browsing room and are used by researchers nationwide.
For browsing, reservations are required.

Usage guide

Reference service

Responding to inquiries regarding the history of Mitsubishi. Please submit your objectives and themes of the survey by phone +81-3-5802-8673, fax +81-3-5802-8674, or e-mail siryokan@meri.or.jp

Collection Catalog

You can see a part of the catalog of historical materials (approximately 1,200 items)
Collection Catalog of Company and Organization History(in Japanese).pdf

Publication

The Mitsubishi Archives has produced the following publications in English:

Please contact to the General Affairs Department of the institute for purchase.