Outline of new Matsushita Electric Works head office

From pamphlet commemorating completion of the head office

The original tiling, which utilized the underside of the tiles as an exterior design accent, is reproduced faithfully. The team examined contemporary photographs and verified that three shades of brown tiles were used, but decided to use six shades for the restored version. Irregularities that were a mark of the ceramic firing technology of the day were also replicated. During the tile production process, sample tiles from the former Konosuke Matsushita Museum were referenced for color, and clay used for Shigaraki ware was chosen for its closeness to the original hues.

At the time the third head office was being built, production of large glass plates was difficult. Consequently, the windows were segmented into smaller panes.
Monochrome photos were referenced to recreate the original dark brown color of the windows. Glass in the upper window sash was transparent, while the lower sash was semi-transparent. The result was ample light while preserving privacy.

Natural ventilation through the chimney replicates the original.
The chimney is also symbolic of an eco-museum.

Contemporary photos indicate that the original drainpipes were probably copper. For the replica, it was decided to use aluminum drainpipes with a copper-color coating.

Konosuke traveled to Kobe harbor personally to acquire the ship's wheel.
The original ship's wheel was lost during the war, but based on photographs, it was replicated faithfully with respect to size, color, and number of spokes.

The ground-floor roof was replicated with French tiles, while the second-floor roof features tiles from Spain. The original tiles contained salt to reduce water absorption. The new tiles were coated with a colored glaze to match the color of the originals. The tiles are a mixture of two colors, and even firing irregularities of the originals have been reproduced.

The round stained-glass windows are the originals used in the third head office.

The entrance was recreated through examination of photos of the third head office and castings from the former Konosuke Matsushita Museum. The design is unusual, with small reinforcing pillars flanking the main pillar. It is believed that these were created in plaster by skilled artisans. At the time of construction, using this approach to represent stone would have been less costly than using the genuine material; today the opposite is true, with skilled artisans being more expensive, and stone was used for the replica.

The year 1986 marked the 40th founding anniversary of the company's labor union. In commemoration of this anniversary, the union presented a bronze statue of Konosuke to the company. The statue was based on a photograph of Konosuke when he was around 70 years old.
The Chinese pyramid juniper was planted in 1933, at the same time as the completion of the third head office, and represents that era today.

I decided that the employees shall speak for one minute at alternating morning and evening assemblies.
I will speak on the first day, and then your general manager the next, then your section manager, your staff, and your staff in training. Everyone takes turns expressing their own views.
This drives home the message, and it is how we've conducted our morning and evening assemblies all along.
My view is that the morning assembly is an opportunity for employee education.
In addition, if something happens that you all need to hear about, you will hear about it quickly, at the morning assembly on the next day.
If you want to bring up something one of your colleagues did that you believe was wrong, you can caution that person in front of everyone at the morning assembly. This may seem strange, but it isn't.
Everyone needs to know everyone else's weak points. Therefore, if you see a weak point in me, you can say so.
You can stand up at the morning assembly and say, "Mr. Matsushita, you need to be careful about thus and such."
"I see, I didn't notice that. I'll make sure to be careful." This sort of thing is beneficial.
This is how we correct the weak points we notice in each other.
But to be honest, I find it hard to speak out. I was never good at it, and I didn't like doing it. But that's exactly why I think it's necessary. It may seem strange, but I think speaking in front of people is a good opportunity to learn. Morning assemblies enable you to start off the day with the motivation and do a good job during the rest of the day.
During a stage performance, they strike wooden clappers just before something dramatic. This gets the audience's attention. It's the same effect.

Konosuke Matsushita, Youth without Regrets (Japanese only), Kyoto Music and Culture Association