Mayuyama Matsutarou (1882-1935) who established the Mayuyama Co, went to Beijing alone in April 1905, and started business of the antique art. He was 22 years old.
In that period, Beijing was flourished center of oriental art and antiquities market on the popular trend of oriental arts in Europe and America.

The treasure which flowed out at the disturbance period when Qing dynasty was falling and ancient artifacts excavated in railroad construction work were carried into the market continiously. Many collectors and dealers were active.
Mayuyama Matsutarou learnt Antique art business in such international market.

Then Japanese antique markets are occupied by marchants of antique tea ceremony utencils, who were called 'DOGU-SHO' or 'KOTTO-SHO'. Matsutaro brought the business learnt in Beijing market leading the world into Japan. He handled art and antiquities which are not useful for tea ceremony, and became a leading art and antique dealer with occidental style.

		He returned to Japan in 1916, and opened a gallery in Ginza, Tokyo. In 1920, he has moved to Kyobashi(present address) , and established his gallery. In 1923,when the Imperial Hotel opened, he has a shop in the hotel which Frank Lloyd Wright designed, The shop is Mayuyama Jewelry Shop, now.
Building in Kyobashi Ward Suzukicho in 1920. (present Tokyo Chuo Ward Kyobashi and present address)

The name of RYUSEN is named after 'longquan wares' celadons which Matsutaro favouritely handled in his Beijing age. Connoiseurship of Celadon is said to be most difficult, and he built trust as a dealer on his connoiseurship of celadon. In Showa era, Mayuyama Co. got the firm base on trend of appreciating ceramics which are not tea-utencils.

Mayuyama Matsutarou and a tripod celadon incense burner

In 1935, Mayuyama Matsutaro passed. Eldest son Junkichi (1913- 1999) succeeded. Mayuyama Junkichi was dealing oriental arts, especially Chinese ceramics, succeeding his father Matsutaro. He introduced many Japanese masterpieces to USA, after business with USA restarted at the end of WWII.
Name of MAYUYAMA has come in the world, offering many masterpieces to museums as Metropolitan Museum, Seattle Museum, and Cleveland Museum of Arts, and to collectors as Mr. Rockefeller Third.

'MAYUYAMA SEVENTY'S' which is a deluxe book published in 1976 for the 70th anniversary, comprises masterpieces Mayuyama Co. dealt. The book(2vols) is still important reference for collectors.

As a prestigious dealer of oriental works of arts, we all staffs have succeeded trust and connoiseurship on a hundred years history, and thank many art-lovers and collectors for confidence in us.