Matsuya Co., Ltd. (株式会社松屋) is a Japanese

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Founded in 1869, it has stores in

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

(est. 1925) and

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

(est. 1930s). The Ginza branch is the company's headquarters. Arising from the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the company was founded in 1869 in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

as Tsuruya, a store selling cotton for

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

. In 1889, it bought Imagawa Matsuya, a Tokyo kimono fabric store founded in 1776, and adopted the latter's name because of its historic lineage. It opened a three-story Western-style store in 1907, and a modern department store in 1925 in Ginza. In the 1960s, the Ginza branch held two well-regarded art exhibitions: "

From Space to Environment was a postwar Japanese exhibition of contemporary art and design that was held on the eighth floor gallery of the Matsuya Department Store in Ginza, Tokyo, from November 11–16, 1966. It was organised by the multidisciplinary group Environment ...

" and "Good Design". In 1971, Matuya began a loose partnership / cooperation agreement with

Isetan ( unlisted on March 26, 2008, ) is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and South East Asia, including in Jakarta, Jinan, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Shanghai, Singapore, Surabaya and Tianjin, ...

, another Japanese department store. In 2002, Matsuya purchased Isetan stock in an attempt to cement the relationship. However, the two firms grew apart in 2007 after Isetan agreed to merge with Matsuya's bitter rival

Mitsukoshi is an international Department stores in Japan, department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Its holding company, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, is a member of the Mitsui, Mitsui Group. History It was founded in 1673 with the (sho ...

, which also operates a flagship department store in Ginza, and form

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings () is a holding company with the Mitsukoshi and Isetan department stores as its wholly owned subsidiaries. Operations In August 2007, Isetan Co. Ltd. and Mitsukoshi Ltd. announced that the two companies "have agreed to merge and form a new ho ...

. On 27 September 2012, Asakusa-Matsuya was renewed as "EKIMISE" and exteriors were changed to the former Asakusa-Matsuya which was opened in 1931 because

Tokyo Skytree , also written as Tokyo Sky Tree, is a broadcasting and observation tower, located in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It has been the tallest tower in Japan since opening in 2012,

was opened Asakusa - Matsuya - 1931

In April 2019, Matsuya held a promotion to celebrate the announcement of the new imperial era name, '' Rei-wa'', providing special treatment for customers whose names contained either of the

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

''rei'' or ''wa''.

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* Japanese companies established in 1869 Buildings and structures in Chūō, Tokyo Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Department stores of Japan Fuyo Group Ginza Retail companies based in Tokyo Retail companies established in 1869 {{retail-company-stub

See also

References

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