Taiyoshi Hyakuban

Taiyoshi Hyakuban is a building located in the Japanese city Osaka. The building is a century old. It was earlier a brothel centre.

Why is Taiyoshi Hyakuban in news?

In November 2021, the restoration of Taiyoshi Hyakuban began. The town developers and real estate agents had launched a crowdfunding project to raise 15 million yen. The funds are to be used to save the struggling structure. By August 2021, the project raised 19 million yen.

Why is Taiyoshi Hayakuban important?

• The Taiyoshi Hayakuban has not functioned as a brothel for decades now. It is now operating as a restaurant. This happened after Japan outlawed prostitution in 1957.
• The building is a “registered tangible cultural property”.
• The Taiyoshi Hayakuban is a wooden two – storey structure. It is a rare example of Taisho era architecture. The Taisho era dates between 1912 and 1926. The Taisho era was preceded by Meiji period. The Meiji period was chaotic. During Taisho period, Japan shifted from the oligarchic group of elder statesmen to an Imperial Diet. Diet is the parliament of Japan. The Taisho era is considered as the time of liberal movement in Japan called the “Taisho democracy”. As the architecture has several Taisho related details and art exhibits, it has huge cultural significance in the history of Japan.
• The structure has dozens of western and Japanese style party rooms. The doors have rich paintings and the ceilings are highly decorated.