FUKAYA, Saitama -- Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the "father of Japanese capitalism" and soon to grace the new 10,000 yen bill, has been reborn as a robot at the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Museum in his hometown of Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture.
The robot was unveiled on Tuesday, and will be open to the public with advance reservations from Friday.
A life-size depiction of Shibusawa at 1.53 meters tall, the robot presents him in his 70s and dressed in Western clothes. The robot gives an 8-minute-long presentation about Shibusawa's philosophy of "harmony between morality and the economy," including hand gestures.
Hiromichi Toriba, the honorary chairman of Doutor Coffee Co. and a native of Fukaya himself, donated 100 million yen to the city to create the android. It was made under the supervision of Osaka University Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, a leading expert on the manufacture of androids.
The city also plans to produce a robot of Shibusawa in his 80s and wearing a kimono. It is scheduled to be open to the public at a former residence of Shibusawa's known as "Nakanchi" in the city in the spring of 2022.
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