Yanagihara Ginko (Bank) Kyoto

Kyoto, the once capital of Japan, is a must-see place for all tourists visiting the country. It features innumerable Buddhist temples, shrines and castles of great historical importance. The spectacular landscape gardens, hot springs and palaces add to its grandeur.
Nestled in the shade of wooded hills, the city is still the cultural hub of Japan and stands in perfect harmony with the country’s tradition and culture.

However no official site on Kyoto will guide you to Yanagihara Ginko (Bank). Established in the late 19th century, Yanagihara Ginko used to meet the needs of the city’s outcaste community. This section of the population, commonly known as Burakumin, which literally means village people, used to be looked down upon and therefore could not access loans from any other banks at that time. They used to be deprived mainly due their ancestors’ association with “unclean” works, which involved any job associated with animals, leather, corpses etc.
Though they don’t have any visible or linguistic difference with the rest of the population, they are mainly distinguished by the locality in which they are born and brought up.

In spite of Government’s sincere efforts through provisions of hiring preferences, economic stipends, residential allowances, public bathhouses targeted at the rich etc, to uplift the standard of living of this impoverished section, they still occupy the lowermost position in Japan’s economic order.

Yanagihara Ginko (Bank), which is nonfunctional at present, was once specified for demolition in the 1980s. Later that plan was changed. The building of the Yanagihara was preserved and now the first floor of the building is used as a store to keep tools used by shoe workers and other historical documents.
The second floor contains historical items associated with Sujin Elementary School in the neighborhood of the bank.

Patric Smith’s “Japan: A Reinterpretation” provides a vivid description of the contemporary Buraku life.

How to Reach

To reach Kyoto you have to avail the shinkansen ‘bullet’ train from Tokyo or Osaka. Once you reach the Kyoto Station move out through the North central exit. Now you can start walking from east one block to Kawaramachi Street, then go away from the train tracks towards north. On the way you will get the Yanagihara Ginko (Bank), now considered as a Museum, on your right by the side of the path.
A block full of low-end shoe stores, will give you the hint that you have reached your destination.

Yanagihara Ginko remains open from 10-4:30. However it remains closed on Mondays, national holidays, and on the second and fourth Saturday of the month.

Hotels in Kyoto
Hotel Hyatt Regency	Hotel Otsu Prince
Hotel Takaragaike Prince	Hotel Brighton
Hotel Granvia	Hotel Nikko Princess