Photo/Illutration The tattered and torn “fusuma-e” sliding door paintings at the entrance to the Taiyoshi Hyakuban restaurant in Osaka’s Nishinari Ward. Photo taken on June 9 (Yuki Hanano)

OSAKA--A century-old brothel-turned-restaurant that looks as if it is on its last legs will dazzle once again.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised enough cash to save the two-story wooden structure, a government-designated tangible cultural property, from falling further into disrepair.

The facility is said to have been one of the largest brothels in a former red-light district located in what is now the Tobita Shinchi neighborhood of Osaka’s Nishinari Ward.

It reopened as Japanese-style restaurant Taiyoshi Hyakuban around 1970.

Masahiko Sugiura, who runs a real estate company in the ward, was involved in the fund-raising effort.

“Hyakuban is an important legacy that represents the history of our community,” said Sugiura, 50. “Our hope is not only to preserve the facility here but also to help make it prosper and live through the generations.”

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The courtyard has a hallway modeled after a bridge at Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine in Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Ward. Photo taken on July 24 (Yuki Hanano)

The crowdfunding drive raised more than the target of 15 million yen ($136,000) by the Aug. 10 deadline, meaning that repair work can begin as early as this fall.

The structure, which has a total floor space of about 580 square meters, is believed to have been built in the late Taisho Era (1912-1926). Spared from war damage, the exterior still retains its original appearance.

The nightlife district that opened in 1918 was shut down after the Prostitution Prevention Law took effect in 1958.

Hyakuban boasts the ambience of the former red-light district with its “karahafu” entrance gables, vermilion-lacquered railing and paper lanterns hanging from the eaves.

The interior is just as gorgeously embellished. The waiting room is modeled after the grand Yomeimon Gate at Nikko Toshogu shrine in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. Flowers, a dragon and other motifs adorn the “fusuma” sliding door panels, walls and ceilings.

Still, the facility looks run down as no full-scale repairs have been carried out since 2004.

Illustrations drawn on fusuma panels may look beautiful from a distance, but areas of the paper have flaked away, with parts of the wooden understructure bloating toward the surface.

Parts of the paint on the vermilion-lacquered railing are in an advanced state of decay, beginning to fall off.

“I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing,” said Kazumori Miyake, 80, who works at the company that manages Hyakuban. “I’ve always felt we must do something.”

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A virtual reality rendition of Taiyoshi Hyakuban (Provided by Micro Heritage)

Hyakuban, popular for its hot pot dishes, has a maximum capacity of about 110 guests in its 13 large and small rooms.

But it has been forced to close its doors repeatedly since spring last year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus and is currently operating on shortened business hours.

The restaurant saw its monthly sales drop by 80 percent or more from pre-pandemic levels.

The operator hopes that customers will return to the renovated facility once the pandemic settles down.

A special website set up to promote the crowdfunding campaign allows visitors to take a virtual reality stroll inside Hyakuban.

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