100 Stories1958 Osaka Headquarters - The Shin-Daibiru Building

The Shin-Daibiru Building was home to Asahi Kasei's Osaka headquarters for over 50 years until it was relocated in 2009. The building, which took a guardian deity of 12 sheep as a symbol, is as important in Asahi Kasei's history as the Tokyo Hibiya Mitsui Building.

In 1922, Asahi Kasei's predecessor, Asahi Fabric, established its headquarters in Osaka's Nishi Ward. The company moved its headquarters to the Osaka Building (Daibiru Building) in 1929, partly because of its growing business in the manufacture and sale of rayon, mainly at its Zeze Plant. It should not be overlooked that during this period, the company acquired an approximately 396,000 square meter plant site in Nobeoka, marking the first steps in the establishment of Asahi Kasei.

Twenty-nine years after this move, in 1958, the company moved to the Shin-Osaka Building (Shin-Daibiru Building) in Dojimahama, Kita Ward, where it would spend more than 50 years. The 12 sheep statues on the fourth floor of the Shin-Daibiru Building are said to have been designed by Togo Murano, who wanted the building to be loved by all, to soften the hard impression of the straight lines of the building with the rounded lines of the sheep.

An employee who once worked at the Shin-Daibiru Building spoke of that time, saying, “The sheep statues were recessed into the building, which took a substantial amount of space away from the office. I remember that when you would open the blinds, you would see these enormous sheep—they were much bigger up close than when they were viewed from the ground, which was more scary than cute.”

The building's rooftop was open to the public, and some employees took walks after lunch and enjoyed the plants up there, and the changes throughout the seasons. The basement was a shopping area, with a company cafeteria, restaurants, clothing and accessories, groceries, drugstores, and other amenities that made life easy. One employee said, “On payday, we would get together with our colleagues and eat lunch at Nadaman, a Japanese-style restaurant.” From your morning coffee before work, to a snack, to a drink after work, the building was very convenient not only for employees working in the Shin-Daibiru Building, but also for business travelers and those who had business in the building.

In May 2009, the Osaka Head Office moved to the Nakanoshima Daibiru Building (in Nakanoshima, Kita Ward, Osaka City). fifty years had passed since the Shin-Daibiru Building, well over the period that one employee spends from the time he or she joins the company until retirement.

After relocating, the building was fully rebuilt. The new Osaka office is located across the Dojima River. Completed in 2015, the Shin-Daibiru Building site has sheep preserved in the four corners of the building to greet visitors. I am sure these sheep are still protecting the Asahi Kasei employees from across the river.