- No-27
- Shimonoseki Branch Office of Chugoku Rokin Kinko (Former Shimonoseki Branch Office of Fudo Savings Bank)
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■ Commentary
The Shimonoseki Branch Office of Chugoku Rokin Kinko (worker’s credit union) used to be located in the bank district and was utilized as the Shimonoseki Branch Office of Fudo Chokin Ginko (savings bank). Fudo Chokin Ginko, which was founded in 1900, established branch offices throughout Japan, and opened the Shimonoseki Branch Office in 1919. Later, the same bank became Nihon Chokin Bank (savings bank) and Kyowa Ginko, and then the Shimonoseki Branch Office of Yamaguchi Prefecture Rokin Kinko (worker’s credit union) in 1973.
In post-war Japan, the social credibility of workers was extremely low, and pawnshops and moneylenders had to be relied on for borrowing to cover living expenses. Therefore, laborers pooled funds and took it upon themselves to boost their standard of living by creating the first worker’s credit union in Japan in 1950. From 1950 to 1953, the Hiroshima/ Yamaguchi/Sanin worker’s credit unions were established, and they joined to become Chugoku Rokin Kinko in October 2003.
The design for the Shimonoseki Branch Office of Chugoku Rokin Kinko was undertaken by 4 engineers in the building and repairs department, including the head of the architectural division of Fudo Savings Bank, Yotaro Sekine . Furthermore, Keiji KOobata and Ryuichi Oka participated in the design of the base-isolation foundation.
Ryuichi Oka began research on seismic-isolation structures from around 1927 and completed his own theory on them in 1932. However, he only had 4 opportunities to utilize the technology he learned, and those were only small-scale structures. With the cooperation of Sekine, he became involved with the large-scale structures of the Himeji Branch Office and Shimonoseki Branch Office constructed in 1934, and was able to incorporate seismic-isolation structures.
In the seismic-isolation structure of this building, seismic-isolation columns using a simple pendulum were separately created and built between the foundation and building. During an earthquake, the seismic-isolation effect of the seismic-isolation columns prevents shaking from being transmitted to the upper areas of the building. In the Shimonoseki Branch Office, seismic-isolation columns were used in the underground foundation columns and the columns for the basement, but today the basement is closed.
Amid a taste for dignified, stately stone constructions for bank architecture in pre-war Japan, this bank follows the Western classical style, and classical elements are included on the main entrance’s colonnades and around the entrance. -
■ Information
Address：21-23 Nanbe-cho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tel： 083-223-8141
Parking：available
Hours : 9：00ー15：00
Closed : Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays
Fee : なし
Other/Notifications：Can only be viewed on weekdays
URL: -
■Category
Category: Constituent cultural properties
Genre: Story 3
Areas:Shimonoseki area
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