A 1925 Bank Branch in Miyauchi
The Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka (秋山孝ポスター美術館長岡本館), registered as the former Nagaoka Commercial Bank Miyauchi Branch, is a reinforced-concrete bank building of 1925 on the old Mikuni Kaido road in Miyauchi, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey reinforced-concrete building with a tiled roof and a building area of 94 square metres, moved in 1952 and renovated in 2009, registration number 15-0440, owned by Nagaoka City.
A Bank on the Old Road
The Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka was built as the Miyauchi branch of the Nagaoka Commercial Bank (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Nagaoka City describes it as the former Hokuetsu Bank Miyauchi branch, which grew up with the Settaya and Miyauchi districts. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its front arcade (gangi) was rebuilt in reinforced concrete when the building was moved.
The Japan Tourism Agency notes faint fire marks on the north wall from the wartime air raid on Nagaoka, and says the fireproof bank is believed to have stopped the fire spreading and saved the Settaya district. Windows damaged in the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake are kept behind new panes.
A Poster Museum
According to Nagaoka City, the Nagaoka-born graphic designer Akiyama Takashi bought the building and opened it as a poster museum in 2009. It was donated to the city in fiscal 2022 and reopened in July 2023 with a tourist information corner and a café.
The Japan Tourism Agency describes Akiyama Takashi (1952–2022) as the son of a Nagaoka greengrocer who became a professor at Tama Art University. His posters, using few colours, mix humour with social comment, and many deal with peace, conservation and Nagaoka landmarks.
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it keeps the look of a bank of the mid-1920s and has become a symbol of the area.
What to Look For
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka faces west onto the old Mikuni Kaido road under a gabled tiled roof, with a washed-aggregate finish on the front, tiled side walls and window frames of polished artificial stone.
The Japan Tourism Agency describes a gallery 5 metres high with posters covering the walls, and the thick vault door from the bank days between the gallery and the shop and café.
Visiting
Nagaoka City and the Niigata tourism site give opening hours of 9:00 to 17:00, closed on Tuesdays (or the next day when Tuesday is a holiday) and over the New Year, with free admission. Exhibitions change, so please check the museum's current information.
It is about 3 minutes on foot from Miyauchi Station on the JR Shin'etsu Line (Niigata Tourism Navi). The address is 2-127-1 Miyauchi, Nagaoka City (street address 2-10-8 Miyauchi). The surrounding Settaya district is a brewing quarter with registered sake and miso storehouses.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1925 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it originally?
- The Miyauchi branch of the Nagaoka Commercial Bank, later the Hokuetsu Bank (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Nagaoka City).
- When did it become a museum?
- In 2009, as a museum of posters by Akiyama Takashi (Nagaoka City).
- Is there an admission fee?
- No, admission is free. It is closed on Tuesdays and over the New Year (Nagaoka City).
- When was the Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka registered?
- On August 1, 2016.
Basic Information
| Name | Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka (秋山孝ポスター美術館長岡本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-127-1 Miyauchi, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, single storey, tiled roof, building area 94 square metres |
| Owner | Nagaoka City |
| Public Access | Open 9:00–17:00, closed Tuesdays, free admission |
References
- 秋山孝ポスター美術館長岡本館（旧長岡商業銀行宮内支店） (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011098
- Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual commentary database)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/en/R6-00048.html
- Settaya and Miyauchi kick-off ceremony (Nagaoka City press material, 2023, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.nagaoka.niigata.jp/shityo/kaiken_i/file/20230630-2-1.pdf
- Akiyama Takashi Poster Museum Nagaoka (Niigata Tourism Navi, in Japanese)
- https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/44256
Last verified: 2026.10.14