Daiei Kumamoto Shimotori

The Daiei Kumamoto Shimotori Store (formerly the Taiyo Department Store) in Kumamoto City will be demolished next year. The building was the scene of a devastating fire in 1973 that killed 104 people and injured 120.

The 60 year old building opened in 1952 as the Taiyo Department Store. In its early days it was considered the best store in the city.

The store was closed for the next two years following the fire as the building underwent repairs. When it finally re-opened, 120,000 people visited on the opening day. However, the store never fully recovered from the incident and went bankrupt a year later.

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