Mr. Merrell.
This is a building by the architect Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi, who came from America and settled here.
I have taken a look at it, so please take a look yourself.
Please feel free to look at whatever interests you (^o^)
Mr. Shimomura.
The founding of Daimaru is considered to be 1717, when the founder, Hikoemon Shimomura, opened a dry goods store in Fushimi, Kyoto.
Nine years later, in 1726, he opened a store on Shinsaibashi-suji (the current location of Daimaru). The founder personally wrote the phrase "Sengi-jigo-risha-ei" (Those who put righteousness first and profit later will prosper) on a hanging scroll, distributed it to all stores, and made it the store's motto.
This phrase was quoted from the "Rong-Ru" (Glory and Disgrace) chapter of the Xunzi, a thinker from the Warring States period in China in the 3rd century BC,
and it meant what we now call "customer-first principle."
Since then, Daimaru has upheld "Righteousness First, Profit Later" as its corporate motto,
and it is still cherished as a corporate philosophy today, over 300 years later.
If you look closely, there is someone carrying something on their back, like Tsutaya Juzaburo.
Please zoom in and enjoy.
(Translation: Please pinch in or pinch out to enjoy.)
Mr. Shimomura and the hanging scroll.
Peacock (Entrance)
There is a peacock that has been watching over the bustling Shinsaibashi-suji,
ever since the end of the Taisho era.
It is a peacock relief that was created in New York
in 1925 (Taisho 14)
during a store expansion.
It is said that although a phoenix was originally ordered, it was delivered as a peacock for some reason.
Since then, the peacock has been used as the symbol of Daimaru, and peacock green has even become its signature color.
As a descendant of a group that speaks based on speculationI have to say, I feel like they were just being made fun of by New Yorkers (at the time), but since saying that wouldn't be very good for the store's image, I wonder if they are just softly and gently pretending not to know—please keep this inner voice just between us, if only I could say thatit would be niceヽ(*´∀`)ﾉ
(...Huh? (￣σ・￣))
[Postscript: Wait. Hold on. Later, Mr. Vories' blueprints appear, and the peacock is clearly drawn in Mr. Vories' blueprints. ...That's a mystery.]
Nice. Nice.
Up close, it's not cute.
(*Opinions may vary.)
I wonder where the lighting is coming from.
A bit above the peacock. A vase? A bird?
On both sides
(bottom right in the first photo, bottom left in the second photo)
it looks like there are imaginary animals (?) there.
A dragon? A Pegasus?
First-floor cosmetics department (probably)
It's the first-floor (I think) cosmetics department.
I'm not well-versed in Merrell-san's architecture.
At the beginning of this year (2025), I went to a Chinese restaurant that Merrell-san had done some architectural work on. (Takara... Takara... something. Also known as ~The Girl's Stomach Episode~ *see end for reference)
That reminded me of it a little. Ah, I thought, Merrell-san really did things like this.
I don't really know, but I thought, hmm.
I thought it was a smudge on the screen, but it wasn't.
For a second, I thought it was a smudge on the screen, but it wasn't.
It's not a crack in the building either. You can see some green in the photo above, and that's its antenna. (Call it a vine!)
I forgot which floor or where exactly, but it's something like that.
Or, it's something completely unrelated.
Here is something similar to that as well.
More of an elevator than an elevator.
(*I'm just saying that based on the vibe.)
This one probably gives off that kind of vibe, too.
Bingo.
I thought it looked like it, and it was.
Staircases designed by Vories are very gentle. The number of steps that make you want to walk up them, and the curves of the black and beige marble, create an elegant space that invites people to move between floors. The staircase of the old main building, with its beautiful decorative details, has been inherited by the basement staircase of the current main building.
This is in front of the elevator hall.
This is the exterior of Daimaru.
This is the lamp where it connects directly to the subway.
Ceiling
It's the ceiling. I couldn't help but gasp.
I changed the color slightly.
Merrell-san's peacock.
On the 8th or 7th floor of the Daimaru department store, there is a quiet area where you can sit down. There, they had some of Merrell-san's blueprints, or perhaps sketches, displayed in a stylish way. Also, there was a cafe with a name like Vories something.
There were many on display, so I only took two photos.
(This is the payoff for the peacock story at the beginning.)
The bird on the top right could almost look like a shoebill.
Merrell-san's signature is on the bottom right.
It looks like a transom.
It's stylish how it looks like an ordinary white ceiling, but
actually has this kind of design peeking through. I took the photo a bit dark so the design would be easier to see, but in reality, it's much more subtle. It's like saying, 'Only those who know, will know; I'm not trying to please everyone.' (/ω・＼) *peek*... There is an elegance and modesty that is different from both Kobe and Kyoto. I also feel like there is a sense of approachability there.
Even though it's directly connected to the station, I don't think the station's design has anything to do with Merrell-san, but somehow, I thought it looked like his style, so I took a picture.
That's all, the end (^o^)
Articles related to Merrell Ichiyanagi
《This is the episode where I went to a Chinese restaurant in Kyoto. Also known as the episode of the young girl's stomach.》
《This is a review written after reading the novel "The Roof Builder," which features Meru-san as the protagonist.》
