A Meiji Bank Built by a Hirosaki Master Carpenter
The Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (旧第五十九銀行本店本館, Kyu Daigojuku Ginko Honten Honkan) is a two-storey timber bank building completed in 1904 in Motonagamachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, which in 1972 was designated an Important Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a building area of 370.6 square metres and a pantiled roof, owned by Hirosaki City. The city notes that the ridge tag is designated with the building.
The Agency describes a Meiji Western-style building with a lookout at the centre of the front, a fine work in Renaissance manner designed and built by a Hirosaki master carpenter.
Horie Sakichi's Masterpiece
Hirosaki City names the builder as the local master carpenter Horie Sakichi. The cost was extraordinarily high for its time, and as the work of his later years, at 59, it is thought he poured into it every Japanese and Western technique he had mastered.
In 1965 the building was due to be demolished for a new branch, but strong local demand for its preservation led instead to it being moved on rollers to its present site.
The city calls the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building the masterpiece into which Sakichi put his heart, and one of Hirosaki's representative Western-style buildings.
What to Look For
The Agency notes that it was built to resist fire, with tile-clad walls sealed in plaster. Behind the Western exterior lies the fireproofing of a Japanese storehouse.
The lookout at the centre of the front is the focus of the facade. Notice how a local carpenter rendered Renaissance-style design in timber.
Hirosaki City rates it as a building of high standard, structurally and technically advanced among Meiji Western-style buildings, with original ideas throughout. The Agency counts it among the best-designed Meiji buildings in a small provincial city.
Visiting the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank
Hirosaki City says the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (Aomori Bank Memorial Hall) is open all year from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until 6:00 p.m. during the cherry blossom, Neputa and snow lantern festivals. It is closed on Tuesdays and from 29 December to 3 January, but open daily during the main festivals.
Admission is 200 yen for adults (high school age and over) and 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students. The displays were renewed and the building reopened on 17 April 2021. Enquiries: 0172-36-6350.
Q&A
- When was the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building built?
- It was completed in 1904.
- Who built the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building?
- The Hirosaki master carpenter Horie Sakichi, according to Hirosaki City.
- What are the features of the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank?
- A Renaissance-style timber building with a central lookout, its walls tile-clad and sealed in plaster against fire.
- What are the opening hours and fees?
- 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on Tuesdays; 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children.
- Is the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank on its original site?
- No; saved from demolition in 1965, it was moved on rollers to its present site.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (旧第五十九銀行本店本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 26 Motonagamachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1972/5/15 (Showa 47) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, pantiled roof, building area 370.6 square metres |
| Owner | Hirosaki City |
| Public Access | Open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Tuesdays, adults 200 yen |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/67
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/121077
- Hirosaki City: Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building (Japanese)
- https://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/gaiyou/shisetsu/formerthe59thbank_mainoffice_mainbuilding.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28