Shibusawa Eiichi (1840–1931): Scion Shibusawa Masahide Reminisces

Masahide on his great-grandfather Eiichi’s lap. (© Shibusawa Memorial Museum)

Aged 99, Masahide has outstripped Eiichi in longevity, who himself lived a long life. (© Ōsawa Hisayoshi)

The Shibusawa Family Tree

The new ¥10,000 note depicting Shibusawa Eiichi. (© Jiji)

Masahide was interviewed at the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation’s Seien Bunko, an important cultural artifact built by the Shimizu-gumi (today Shimizu Corporation) the year he was born. (© Ōsawa Hisayoshi)

Masahide smiles as he looks at family photos. (© Ōsawa Hisayoshi)

Shibusawa Masahide with the bust of his great-grandfather on which the banknote likeness was modeled. (© Ōsawa Hisayoshi)