Exhibition Room Guide
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Minato City Center for Traditional Culture
Minato City Center for
Traditional CultureModern Japanese architecture conveys the elegance of the historic red light-district
Minato City Center for Traditional Culture is located in a building that was built in 1936 as a kenban for the Shibaura Red-light District. It is the only existing wooden kenban left in Tokyo. A kenban is a sangyo kumiai (three businesses union) office which organizes the sangyo (three geisha-related businesses): an okiya (geisha dwelling), a ryotei (classical Japanese-style restaurant), and a machiai (geisha entertainment room).
After World War II, this building was used by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) as a part of lodging facilities for dock workers, during which time it was called the “Kyodo Kaikan”. However, the Kyodo Kaikan was closed in March 2000 due to aging of the structure. At one point it was slated for demolition, but in response to local demand to preserve and utilize the building, Minato City conducted studies on how to utilize the building. The building was transferred free of charge from the TMG to Minato City in April 2009, and was designated by the city as a cultural property in October of the same year. After a seismic assessment and a structural survey, followed by about two years of preservation and repair work, the building was reopened as Minato City Center for Traditional Culture in 2020.
Let's take a look at how Shibaura transformed from a red-light district to a port town, and its current form, focusing on the architecture of this facility. -
Long ago, Shibaura was part of the sea
Long ago,
Shibaura was part of the seaShibaura geisha first came to Honshiba, facing the scenic Shibaura area of the late 1800s
In the Edo period (AD 1603 – 1868), Shibaura was a tidal flat, with a fishing village called Shiba located on the west side of the current JR train tracks. The entertainment district near Zojo-ji Temple and Shiba Shinmei Shrine was a thriving area thronged with travelers and visitors along the main street of Tokaido, continuing all the way to the first post town, Shinagawa.
In 1872, the first railway in Japan opened between Shimbashi and Yokohama. Shiba happened to be located near the railway terminal, Shimbashi, and offered a view of the scenic Shibaura tidal flats, so it developed even further as a resort area with beaches for leisure and clam-digging. Hot spring hotels, ryotei, and tea houses lined the street, serving visitors to area.
When these ryotei required the services of geisha, geisha were called from the Shiba Shinmei Red-light District, but that proved to be inadequate. In 1902, the Matsuzaki okiya opened for business in Honshiba. At that time, Shibaura was crowded with pleasure-seeking visitors, which led to one okiya after another opening for business, and resulting in the emergence of “Shibaura Geisha”. -
A kagai develops in the area of Shibaura
A kagai develops
in the area of ShibauraIn the early 1900s, land in Shibaura was reclaimed from the sea, and the kagai of Honshiba was relocated to Shibaura
In 1912, work began on the Sumida River Mouth Improvement Project, including land reclamation and expansion into Tokyo Bay. In 1919, the Shibaura Sea Land Reclamation Project was completed.
However, as reclamation of Tokyo Bay progressed, Shibaura Red-light District lost its scenic view of the sea, so the number of visitors decreased. For assisting land development of the reclaimed Shibaura area, a licensed district for sangyo was established in Minamihama-cho (now Shibaura 1-chome) in 1920, so the red-light district was relocated. It was divided into east and west by the train tracks, with businesses operating on both sides. Shibaura Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (currently Toshiba Corporation), Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (currently Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.) and Yanase Motor (now Yanase Corporation) and other manufacturers relocated to this reclaimed land. Shibaura suffered relatively minor damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, so a number of evacuees from other red-light districts also relocated here, making it gradually become even busier, and reviving the Shibaura Red-light District. The quay of Shibaura also thrived due to transportation of materials for the reconstruction of Tokyo, and the famous fish market of Tsukiji was relocated to Shibaura for several months so it could continue to do business. -
The Shibaura Red-light
District builds its own kenban
The Shibaura Red-light District builds its own kenban
Kenban architecture with outstanding design symbolizes the bustling district
Construction of this building as a kenban for Shibaura was started in September 1935, and was completed in June 1936. It is said that most of the funds were provided by Mr. Rikizo Hosokawa, the head of the Shibaura Sangyo Kumiai at the time, made as a donation to the Sangyo Kumiai. The kenban of Shibaura had been relocated temporarily many times before it finally settled in this building. Mr. Hosokawa himself said that he built this large and luxurious kenban because he wished for the sangyo to have its own building, and he hoped to contribute to further growth of the Shibaura Red-light District.
The kenban was not a place for customers to visit themselves, because it was used as the office of the sangyo and as a rehearsal venue; also, it was open to the public. This building was built with outstanding design and advanced techniques, and it also embodies the spatial composition peculiar to kenban architecture. -
The Birth of Kyodo Kaikan
The Birth of Kyodo Kaikan
The building was converted into lodging for dock workers
As World War II intensified and air raids began on mainland Japan, parts of Shibaura were also subject to mandatory evacuation. The red-light district was also subject to evacuation, and some okiya and machiai closed for good. After the war, the Shibaura Red-light District was revived, but the sangyo kumiai moved to a different building.
Fortunately, buildings in this area including the original kenban were free from air raids. Six buildings including adjacent machiai and ryotei were purchased during the war by the TMG, and administered as secondary accommodation for dock workers. This building was named the “Kyoto Kaikan” by the first manager, with the first floor used as lodging, offices and the manager's residence, and the large hall on the second floor used as a place for local residents to gather so they could rehearse and present traditional arts.
Yet, the Shibaura Sangyo Kumiai was dissolved in 1963, and the Shibaura Red-light District disappeared thereafter. -
Designated as cultural asset of Minato City
Designated as cultural
asset of Minato CityRepairs for preservation and use
This building was used as lodging for dock workers even in the Heisei era (1989 onwards), but as the building aged, some began to consider demolition. It was closed in March 2000, but a preservation movement has been led by the Association to Utilize Shibaura & Kyodo Kaikan, which was launched in 1997 by volunteers fascinated with the building. In 2006, a petition for site preservation and utilization of the Kyodo Kaikan (the former Shibaura Kenban) was submitted by local representatives and adopted by the Minato City Assembly. In response, the city decided to preserve the building, and in 2009, the city designated the building as a cultural property, and decided to maintain it as a facility for use by residents of the city. Conservation and maintenance work was completed and construction finished in December 2019, about five years after the maintenance plan was first formulated.
The building has been rebuilt several times over the past 80 years in order to accommodate different uses, such as by changing the layout of rooms. In order to follow specific transitions, the city has carried out historical surveys such as trace surveys along with conservation and renovation works. -
Restyled as Minato City Center for Traditional Culture
Restyled as Minato City Center
for Traditional CultureA new facility that is a gathering place for the community and a center for promoting local traditions and culture
Nearly 100 years have passed since land reclamation of the Shibaura area was completed. It once flourished as a scenic place with a view of the sea, and became a town where the gorgeous red-light district and harbor facilities such as factories and warehouses coexisted. Today, few traces of that time remain, and in their place is a forest of condominiums and office buildings.
This building was built as a kenban in 1936, but as the port of Tokyo developed, it became a lodging place for dock workers. Its use has changed in response to changes in the neighborhood. It is now a valuable cultural property that tells the history of how this area once flourished as a port town and thrived as a red-light district, and it has a been familiar sight and a treasure to local residents for many years.
The Minato City Center for Traditional Culture inherits the history of the kenban and Kyodo Kaikan, while also bringing new life to the town as a base for sharing traditional culture and meeting locals. -
Shibaura and Canals
Shibaura and Canals
Town planning that makes use of the waterfront
Shibaura was once a scenic coastal resort. A canal was dug along with the land reclamation after the Meiji era, and this canal played an important role as a waterway for carrying cargo. Nowadays, it is rarely used for shipping, but it is a feature of the town that lets you feel the waterside near at hand. There are many bridges including Minamihama Bridge, Shiosai Bridge, and Shinshiba Bridge spanning the canal, which are scenic features of the cityscape.
With recent development of the waterfront, many high-rise condominiums and office buildings have been constructed, transforming the townscape even further. Yet, the charm of this neighborhood can still be found in its old-fashioned scenery, such as floating fishing boats and houseboats.
Various efforts are underway in order to make the waterside a people-friendly space, including the development of promenades, promotion of water purification, and the operation of water taxis.
