A 1925 Bank Turned Lantern Museum
The Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum (former Yasuda Bank Yamaga Branch) (山鹿灯籠民芸館（旧安田銀行山鹿支店）) is a two-storey reinforced-concrete former bank of 1925 in the centre of Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 25, 2002. It now houses a museum of Yamaga lanterns (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as two-storey reinforced concrete with a building area of 185 square metres; registration number 43-0049, owned by Yamaga City.
From Bank to Lantern Hall
According to the museum, the building was put up in 1925 as the Yamaga branch of Yasuda Bank and served as the Yamaga branch of Higo Bank until 1973. It marked its centenary in 2025.
Inside are fine examples of Yamaga lanterns, a nationally designated traditional craft made only of washi paper and a little glue and offered at Omiya Shrine during the Yamaga Lantern Festival each August (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
Why It Was Registered
The Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes how it uses an Ionic-style order in a historicist composition while showing distinctive details such as squared scrolls and the parapet ornament over the entrance.
What to Look For
Inside, most of the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum is taken up by the old banking hall, with offices on the west side (Agency for Cultural Affairs); the spacious hall now serves as the lantern gallery.
Outside, Ionic-style columns give a historicist front, with squared scrolls and a parapet ornament over the door (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The museum itself describes the solid exterior as Romanesque in feel.
Visiting the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum
The museum is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last entry 5:30 p.m.). Admission is 300 yen, and a combined ticket with the Yachiyoza theatre is available. Lantern-making workshops are also offered (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
The address is 1606-2 Yamaga, Yamaga City; telephone 0968-43-1152 (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
Q&A
- When was the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum building built?
- In 1925, as the Yamaga branch of Yasuda Bank (Agency for Cultural Affairs, museum).
- What is distinctive about the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum building?
- A historicist front with Ionic-style columns, squared scrolls and a parapet ornament (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What can you see at the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum?
- Fine Yamaga lanterns made only of washi and glue (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
- What are the hours and admission of the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum?
- 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., last entry 5:30 p.m.; admission 300 yen (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum).
- When was the Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum registered?
- On June 25, 2002.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum (former Yasuda Bank Yamaga Branch) (山鹿灯籠民芸館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1606-2 Yamaga, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/6/25 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 2 storeys, building area 185 square metres |
| Owner | Yamaga City |
| Public Access | Open as a museum (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., admission charged) |
References
- Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002864
- Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum (Yamaga regional promotion corporation)
- https://yamaga.site/?page_id=1550
- Admission and hours (Yamaga Lantern Folk Craft Museum)
- https://yamaga.site/?page_id=2627
Last verified: 2026.10.07