Why was BankART1929 established?

I would like to sketch out the reasons behind the founding of
BankART1929 and trace its subsequent evolution.
BankART1929 remains the foremost Creative City project promoting the re-development of Yokohamaʼs architectural patrimony, its ﬂourishing artistic and culture scene and inner city
regeneration. With the goal of establishing creative clusters
throughout the Yokohamaʼs metropolitan area, the BankART
team have built new networks, embracing the entire spectrumof artistic and cultural spheres. We have created a space indowntown Yokohama in which performance, architecture,music and the ﬁne arts related events have a viable platform,
while at the same time offering studio spaces, adult education
courses, café-pub a book shop, and facilities for creative
endeavours. Since its inception, BankART has been actively
involved in producing hundred of cultural events annually.
A Historical Overview of Yokohama
Under pressure from Admiral Perry, the Tokugawa Shogunate
was forced to open up several ports to foreign ships to enableinternational trade. Among those chosen was Yokohama - atthat time a backwater dock some 25 kilometres southwest ofTokyo. Yokohama was quickly to become the nexus for foreign
trade, an opening to the outer world as such. In the immediate
aftermath of the portʼs opening a railway connection linking
Tokyoʼs Shinbashi and Yokohamaʼs Sakuragicho was laid
down, while a concession in the Kannai district was given thego ahead. I recall reading that the three pivotal events in Yokohamaʼs history were: the opening of the port (1858), the Great
Kanto Earthquake (1923); and the air raids during the Paciﬁc
War (1944-45). The ﬁrst of these came about as a consequence of demands made by a foreign power; the second wasa natural disaster, while the third was due to damage inﬂictedby a military force. These were the determining factors in thecreating of that source of phenomenal energy, which is the
Yokohama of today, a city that has constantly transformed
itself through destruction and renewal. Yokohama is uniqueamong world cities in that its starting point for its evolution intoa world-class city was due to an entirely man-made decision:
its port was forcibly opened up to the outside world, thus kickstarting a process of urbanisation - a recurring factor in Yokohamaʼs history: Foreign inﬂuences became increasingly evident
in every facet of the cityʼs life: architecture, street design, gastronomy and clothing. Gripped with an enterprising spirit,
Yokohama transformed itself within a timeframe of a mere 50
years from a backwater port into a major ﬁnancial hub and awell-to-do modern metropolis. Nonetheless, as can be seen inthis photograph of the immediate aftermath of the Great Kanto
Earthquake in 1923, we can observe its locationʼs inherent vulnerability to natural disasters. Overnight the city was utterly
destroyed. In light of its devastation, Yokohama was to concentrate on becoming a ﬁre-resistant city. When it came to8

Why was BankART1929 established?

reconstruction, due consideration was forthwith given to
proper construction materials and ﬁre preventive measures.
This engendered that perennial and overriding tendency forinnovative design so characteristic of the city. Yokohama rosefrom the ashes with numerous building using reinforced concrete, based on the model of western construction techniques.
Within two decades, however, many of those buildings wereonce again turned into rubble following the American air raids.
While all wooden structures were burned to a cinder, those
constructed with reinforced concrete were by and large able towithstand the bombardments. Another determining factor in
Yokohamaʼs survival was that the American Air Force deliberately avoided using the incendiary bombs that were used tosuch devastating effect elsewhere. This was because theAmerican authorities had already envisaged making Yokohama
the headquarters for the future government of Japan, thus
sparing the cityʼs architectural patrimony and port facilities.
The Dawn of Citizenship
Despite its traumatic past, Yokohama has persisted, endowedwith a particular DNA make-up that has enabled it to make agreat leap into the future. The city prides itself in its sense ofsurvival. Our Creative City Project is but an extension of thisdeeply entrenched desire to continually regenerate this historiccity.
An Autonomous Yokohama
In the 150 years since this erstwhile backwater port opened up,
Yokohamaʼs population has sprouted to almost 3,680,000.
While some outlying districts have been inhabited since the
Kamakura period (1185-1333) - for example, the Kanazawaward - most of Yokohamaʼs citizens live in the large-scale residential communities in the suburban developments on thecityʼs hillsides, like those in the Aoba and Tsuzuki wards. With ayearly population increase of almost a 100,000 newcomers, thecity has exerted an astonishingly strong magnetic attraction.
The desire to create a highly efﬁcient urban environment issomething that runs in the cityʼs DNA, and is something of an
inherited skill. Public work schemes initiated in 1963 by Ichio
Asukata, the then mayor, and further advanced by city planners the calibre of Akira Tamura, resulted in the creation ofwhat is since known as the six major initiatives. A corollary tothis process was the notion of Yokohama becoming ʻautonomous.ʼ One particular episode in this awakening consciousness of Yokohamaʼs potential was the underground highway
running from Yoshidabashi-bridge. In neighbouring Tokyo, as
the central government were erecting highways over rivers in
preparation the Tokyo Olympic Games (1964), they also set
their minds to constructing an underground highway networkin Yokohama. Despite the hastily drawn-up plans, it was nonetheless decided to undertake such a monumental projectwithout proper consultation. The Yokohama city authorities put
up ﬁerce resistance to this inner-city highway network. Ultimately, the plan was given the green light, but not ﬁrst without
the application of extremely onerous digging methods. Whilemaintaining cooperative ties with the central government inTokyo, Yokohama nonetheless established its own way of
doing things, and pursued its autonomous approach. Against
such a backdrop, these six major initiatives have over the last
40 years steadily been the motor to implement change, and the
bedrock for the completion of numerous large-scale projects
such as the Kouhoku New Town District, the Bay Bridge, theMinatomirai area and such.
Yokohama in Fifty Years Time
Mayor Nakada stepping into ofﬁce in 2002 was timely: the city
was just beginning to loose its way, suffering a drop in vitality
after four decades of steady expansion. Takeru Kitazawa, who
assumed Akira Tamuraʼs position, assisted Nakada in his stewardship. On becoming a councillor in Yokohama, Kitazawa, aTokyo University professor and former urban planning chief,
became deeply involved in Yokohamaʼs future plans. I suppose
his major concern was the direction in which Yokohama washeading. While the city undoubtedly overcame many hurdles in
the past, what major issues will confront upcoming generations? What will motivate them to regenerate their city?
Creative City ProjectWith a constantly increasing number of vacant lots and properties in the previously bustling downtown district of Bashamichi,
public opinion began clamouring for regeneration of the area,
particularly in light of the success of the Minatomirai complex
and the thriving business activity close to Yokohama station.
Consequently, preparatory measures for the Creative City
Project were launched, enrolling the cityʼs formidable culturalforces: In the process historic buildings were reconverted andstreet life revitalised. Kitazawa-san was at that time at the helmof the Urban Planning Bureau, in which urban design was toencompass the entire cityscape, and for which he initiated andactively promoted a set of remarkable initiatives includingarchitectural projects and soft programs, under Mayor Nakadaʼs stewardship, that were to act as a forerunner for the Creative City Project. In terms of the four major indicators
Kitazawa had in mind for Creative City Yokohama, one can see,in practice that he painstakingly prepared the ground for the
Inner Harbour Scheme, and that those procedures he set inmotion would ultimately lead to the foundation of the Yokohama of tomorrow.

The Four Great Projects
1: Yokohama National Art Park
2: Yokohama Creative City Clusters

3: Yokohama as Image Culture City
4: Yokohama Triennale Series
The ﬁrst, the National Art Park (NAP) is a surprisingly neatconcept, whose core idea is the creation of an initiative
whereby Yokohama city would work in conjunction with thenational authorities in redeveloping the vast areas of land surrounding Yokohama bay that had been developed by thecentral administration. By enlisting the national authorities cooperation, emphasis was ﬁrmly on public parks and cultural
facilities, and not on business and industry. The Shinko Pier
complex, re-furbished as a venue for the 2008 Triennale; ZOUNO-HANA TERRACE, conceived as part of the Yokohama Port
Opening 150th anniversary project are all successful examples. In collaborating closely with the national authorities, theaim was to simultaneously reduce expenditure and enhance
the harbourʼs overall functions through the creation of public
spaces. The main thrust of the NAP project is to continue offering Yokohamaʼs citizens a prosperous living environment.

The second touchstone, the Creative City Cluster project, isalso of central importance for BankART1929. It entails creating
new inner-city communities - not in the old-fashioned sense ofan over-reliance on oneʼs neighbours - but rather of facilitating
a series of programmes that will ultimately lead to building of
new residential areas. Promoted by City Hall, in conjunction
with various community-based groups and the central authorities, a chain reaction ensued with the result that the number of
those involved in the various creative spheres working in close
proximity to BankART is now more than a thousand.
The third indicator is that of Yokohama as a city committed to
Image Culture. At the outset, focus was primarily on the ﬁlm
industryʼs content-based industries. The company that eventually set up in Yokohama was to suffer setbacks due to theworsening economic conditions. Those enterprises involved
with video and computer games, which had gone so far as toeven buy sites, also pulled out given the downturn. Tokyo University of Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media thendecided to re-locate its campus to Yokohama and establish its
faculties of Film, Media Arts and Animation in the cityʼs downtown district. While EIZONE, (Yokohama Image Culture City
Festival) initiated in 2007 and running for three successive
years, along with CREAM International Festival for Arts andMedia in 2010 went some distance in consolidating Yokohamaʼs reputation as an Image Culture City, further steps are
required. Andrei Tarkovsky pointed out the metaphorical natureof image in his ﬁlms: one can observe this again and again in
the constant presence of water. Seeing that Yokohama isendowed with abundant water resources, I am sure that it
would be a powerful incentive were it to adopt the harbour as
its icon, in effect calling to mind a locality where ʻimageʼ plays acritical role in deﬁning the city. It would lead us away from an

Why was BankART1929 established?

9image of an inﬂexibly structured city towards a more ﬂuid one,
one that embraces diversity.
The fourth factor, the Yokohama Triennale, plays an integral
and positive role in the overall Creative City concept. As a festival-like event held every three years, the Triennale serves as ameans of consolidating various city-planning initiatives in the
day-to-day lives of Yokohama citizens, embracing both infrastructural and cultural elements. In parallel to these initiatives,it provides an incentive towards novel developments and arenewed city environment. The results of the last three triennales have been signiﬁcant: the redeveloped districts on thewaterfront have been the focal point of its activities. To cite but
some examples : the newly-built Paciﬁco Yokohama Convention Center and the re-constructed Red Brick Warehouses
were prominent venues for the 2001 Triennale, derelict warehouses on the Yamashita pier were renovated for the 2005 Triennale, and the 2008 Triennale saw the construction of the
Shinko Pier.
Its vibrant program is marked by phenomenal progress particularly considering its origins, and the manner in which thesefour interweaving yet distinct strands complement each other.
Results are everywhere to be seen: ranging from small-scaleinitiatives on the brink of breakthrough to those employing amore ﬂexible approach to consolidating their presence on the
ground.
As Kitazawa-san saw it, the decision to initiate the Creative City
project, before tackling the Inner Harbour scheme was both
strategically crucial and a very sound one. What he was underlining was the necessity of a vibrant cultural sphere so as toensure the cityʼs survival, and not how the city would face its
major infrastructural challenges over the next ﬁfty years. I
believe that much can be gained from embracing the unknown,
and of the need to reﬂect and take stock of prevailing circumstances. This probing approach was and remains inherent to
the Creative City Project.
BankART and its Beginnings
Established in 2004, BankART ranks among the prominent
driving forces behind Yokohamaʼs urban planning. It was originally located above ground at Bashimichi station on the
recently constructed Minatomirai line. BankART was initiallyhoused in two historic buildings, both former banks and built in
1929. Kitazawa-sanʼs response to my searching question
during our preliminary vetting as to why we should use two
premises at a distance from each other was: “Please work
together with the city.” This answer epitomises our fundamental approach to whatever project we undertake, that we do not
use art for artʼs sake, but rather regard it as a starting point forcity planning. After establishing ourselves - and not without

10 Why was BankART1929 established?

toing and froing between two buildings - we made our mark on
its citizens, the architecture, the shops, the cityʼs walls andvacant lots. The programmes we instigated have mostly been
directly connected to city-life.
The ﬁrst to come to mind is the opening of the building we now
occupy. Though not quite until midnight, we do keep our doors
open until 11:00 pm, until pub-closing time, thus enabling not
only those attending the various events to frequent the building
but also the general public to use the building as though it werea public facility. At that time, I wrote the following:“We would like BankART to be like a train station. Just as aEuropean train station functions as a communal space where
one can drink a coffee or enjoy a beer, where buskers canfreely play their music, where some even take a nap, whileothers might occasionally get into a ﬁght, where everybody can
comfortably pass their time. Our ultimate aim is to create astructure that embraces all these needs. Yokohama is city ofcommerce, where people from all over Japan and overseas
congregate, which nurtures a signiﬁcant artistic community,
where the economy is constantly growing, where information
rapidly circulates, in sum a place where trading of all sorts
occurs. We would like to work together with those who havesomething to express, and with those who support them.
United, we would like to convert the economic structure of thiscity so that we can all earn a livelihood here. We would like
BankART to be the research station for these endeavours.”
For those readers interested in learning more about BankART,
please refer to its website www.bankart1929.com, or alternatively BankART Life Ⅱ, published in English translation in 2009.
Bankart ʼs Response
Bank ARTʼs early days were far from plain sailing given thatwithin four months of moving into our new premises, the former
Fuji Bank in Bashamichi, we were asked to vacate the building
because the Tokyo University Media Faculty wished to use it
for its Yokohama campus. An ominous mood ensued as aresult of this perceived abuse of trust, and we, as the party
working in the building, could not just simply choose to ignore
the predicament we found ourselves in.
That said, however, City Hall were delighted with their arrival,
and let us know that the very fact that Tokyo University campus
was attracted to coming to Yokohama was partly due to ourefforts in getting Creative City Yokohama off the ground.
Whereupon we decided to hand over the building as requested.
We did, however, set down three pre-conditions:
The ﬁrst was that our new premises be within walking distance;
the second that we have as much space at our disposal, andﬁnally that we re-locate without having to wait. City Hall took all
our concerns on board, and immediately set about brokering
the move. They located our current premises, the BankART
Studio NYK, and aggressively negotiated with Nippon Yusen

its new owners, hastily ensured a supplementary budget andundertook all the necessary repair works so that the building
could be occupied by the end of the December. BankART
Studio NYK opened in January of 2005. Refurbishing andrepairs at the former Fuji Bank premises were completed by
April, thus enabling the Tokyo University to open their campus
immediately. Given the challenges, we could both accomplish
what needed accomplished remarkably well.
Chain Reactions
About a year or so after establishing ourselves in our new
premises, the Mori Building (a former Teisan Warehouse
Project in the Kitanaka district) just across from BankART
was designated for re-development. Given that reconstruction work wasnʼt due to begin until some two years later, wewere asked whether it would be possible to use the ofﬁces
on the street-side of the building in the interim. The owners
agreed on condition that we pay the property tax and aminimal administrative charge. The lease was solely for aﬁxed period. We then approached various young artists andarchitect groups with the idea of renting out affordable,
small-sized studios on the ground ﬂoor to the artists, andthe larger atelier spaces on the 2nd and 3rd ﬂoors to thearchitects. Initially, we contacted some sixty different
groups and individuals, and by the time of the second
viewing about 50 of them decided to become tenants.
Thanks to the affordable rents and the expedient manner inwhich the owners of the Mori Building responded to our proposals, a small miracle occurred: Kitanaka BRICK & WHITE
was to open its doors within three months. What made themove even more attractive was the fact that Mikan, an architect group, promptly decided to lease an ofﬁce there. The
only pre-requisites for getting this project off the groundwere that we succeeded in attracting a good creative team,and that it naturally fermented itself. The Kitanaka residents
organised open studio days, opening their ateliers to the
public, developing in the process into competent communicative teams. Another remarkable feature of this project was
how the city authorities positively responded to this proactive attitude taken by the Kitanaka residents. Realising theshort-term nature of the lease, they foresaw and opened
ZAIM, so that the artists could move immediately to a newpremises once their lease expired. Notwithstanding the factthat it was subject to public tender, a good third of the residents of Kitanaka BRICK & WHITE relocated to ZAIM. City
Hall also provided ﬁnancial assistance by subsiding theinitial costs of setting up ofﬁce there. Yokohama took an
extremely pro-active stance in attracting those working in
the artistic and cultural sphere to settle in the inner city, thus
engendering a chain reaction.

Private Sector Involvement
The private sector has equally played a crucial role to, notably
with the Honcho 45 building, popularly known as Shigokai.
Given the sense of instability engendered by the short-termleases available at ZAIM, the architect groups based in Kitanaka were reluctant to move. As we were responsible in attracting them to Kitanaka in the ﬁrst place, we tried to ﬁnd anotherspace to which they could relocate. No matter how hard they
tried, we were unable to come across one with similarly favourable conditions. Eventually, they were to re-locate to the Honcho-biru, situated right in front of BankART, whose ownershowed understanding for the way we operated. When heagreed to leasing the fourth and ﬁfth ﬂoors of the building designated for redevelopment on the same conditions as Kitanaka, we were at once overjoyed and yet somewhat daunted
by the prospect. The term ʻprivate sector involvement` ﬁttingly
describes this signiﬁcant development.
Up until that juncture, we had often presented lectures entitled :ʻPotential for Private Sector administered Public Facilities,ʼ and
BankART had acted as a mediator between the public andprivate sectors, continually endeavouring to maximise thepotential of both through a series of corresponding programs.
BankARTʼs Objectives
Initially instigated in 2004 on an experimental basis for 2 years,
then extended for a further 2 years, BankART is now about tocomplete its seventh year in operation. Though still a long way
from accomplishing our original objectives, we are more determined than ever in furthering the Creative City project, and,with the following self-imposed objectives in mind, maintainour current stable management practices. BankARTʼs longterm goals are:1: Creating a viable economic basis for the venture.
2: Extending our network to other cities in Japan and overseas.
3: Enhancing awareness of the pioneering nature of the Creative City Cluster project.

BankART has currently an annual revenue intake of some 80
million yen, steadily increasing year on year, generated througha diversity of activities and programmes, ranging from the café
cum pub, the book-shop, adult education courses and rental
studios at BankART Studio NYK, along with co-ordinating andproducing more than 200 events, exhibitions, symposiums andsuch annually. Thanks to this solid economic footing and thesubsidies received from Yokohama city, we have continually
been able to present a challenging program while building up a
secure business base.
We receive more than a hundred fact-ﬁnding missions fromJapan and abroad every year, many of these from art initiative
organisations operational in similar ﬁelds, notably organisingconferences and co-ordinating publishing projects with the

Why was BankART1929 established? 11

support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Of late, we launcheda novel and on-going Japanese-Korean exchange project, A
Contemporary Sequel for the Joseon-Korean diplomatic expeditions, which has gained momentum through its deepening
approach.
Of the original 53 project groups that occupied Kitanaka BRICK& WHITE, comprising of 253 persons in all, 17 of them moved to
the Honcho-biru. Another successful project we promoted was
Food and Contemporary Art in conjunction with restaurant
owners in the Noge, Bashamichi and Hatsuko-Hinode districts.
Availing of unused public spaces in the city, vacant lots, rooftops, waterways, the Bashamichi Station and the entrance ofYokohama City Hall, the Landmark Project was an effort tobring Yokohamaʼs citizens to overlooked areas of the city. We
are continually striving to devise various schemes to reinvigorate the metropolitan area.
BankARTʼs Outlook for the Future
Given that 2012 will see BankART face into its 8th year, I would
like to jot down a few ideas as to what the future might hold instore. Over the years I have published several papers on this
topic and would like to quote from one of them:“ Iʼve always believed that BankART has been fortunate: Compared with other municipal organisations, we have by nomeans better budgets, salaries and facilities, and yet I have to
say that we are an autonomous venture with far less constraints. Moreover, the cityʼs administrative bodies have invariably shown every willingness to help us in our endeavours andit has been a genuinely enjoyable and inspirational experience
thus far. Yet, we face an uncertain future, and have to ask ourselves how we will adapt. It would hardly do for us to becomecomplacent about our achievements, accepting the prevalent
top-down arrangements.
With recent case studies New York or Berlin, we can observe
how various art initiatives have actually played a determiningrole in the shape those cities have taken. Positive outcomes areeven to be seen in those areas and buildings originally squatted, where local communities, the private and public sectors inconjunction with the city administration have worked hand in
hand, leading to a visible improvement of the cityʼs cultural
standards and living environment. However, such a modus
operandi does not correspond to current conditions in Japan.
In Yokohama, for instance, the pattern to date has been that
City Hall takes the initiative to set things in motion, followed bya working period in partnership with the private sector, until
such time that the administration is fully handed over. The
problem is what will happen after the transfer of responsibility.
To be blatantly clear on the issue, BankART, too, inevitably
needs to quickly face up to this reality and become a fullyﬂedged private sector organisation. While continuing to collaborate and work closely on joint projects with the administration

12 Why was BankART1929 established?

and be the recipient of assistance, it is of all the more pressingthat BankART ﬁnds its own premises, expands and becomesﬁnancially independent. As I commented at the symposium for
Administrative Systems: “A Museum established without incentives will disappear in the same fashion.” These words confront
BankART with an ultimatum. I believe that BankART hasentered its second phase, whereby we will work on even closer
terms with Yokohama, think beyond the frame, gradually transform ourselves, turn our weaknesses into strengths, andbeneﬁt from our manifold experiences of working in this city so
as to eventually break out and stand on our own two feet.
Unfazed, I would like BankART to face up to the challenges andopportunities ahead.”
On a ﬁnal note, Kitazawa-san passed away in December of2009. I would like to conclude this essay by quoting from mycomments in his book of condolences.
Ideas (Aspirations) and Practice (Working Projects)
I wonder what Kitazawa-san foresaw for Yokohama? Why did
he pursue the idea of turning it into a Creative City? When the
Tokugawa Shogunate took the momentous step to open theport 150 years ago, Yokohama was regarded in strategic terms.
Following the Paciﬁc War, the city administration resolved todiscard the past and aimed to create a future metropolis. The
question was and remains: How and to what extent the Japanese government was to be involved, and how was Yokohama
to attain and maintain its autonomy? I am of the belief that
Kitazawa-san was genuinely concerned about the ramiﬁcations of the relationship between Yokohama city and central
government. His four principal pillars for the turning Yokohama
into a Creative City clearly illustrate the complexity of his
approach towards urban planning. As a city planner, he wasendowed both with the drive to get things done in real terms
along with a profound understanding of all the details involvedin urban planning, and at the same time the ability to grasp
artistic or multi-layered virtual realities. Incorporating all thesequalities, he showed the way forward with his conception ofurban environments, robust and yet adaptable, complex andyet comprehensible. While evaluating the city around him either
micro-or macroscopically, ever turning his aspirations into tangible realities and yet always willing to go back to the drawing
board, Kitazawa sanʼs remains at our backs, encouraging us
from afar to persevere in bringing his dreams to fruition.

Osamu Ikeda
Director BankART 1929