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We are now in front of the underground vault, located on the Main Building's B1 level. This vault was in use for 108 years, since its installation in 1896 until June 2004.
This U.S.-made door was installed in 1932, when the vault space was expanded from its original size. It is 90 cm thick and weighs 25 tons (door: 15 tons; frame: 10 tons).
A sideline story
It has been told that the president of York Safe & Lock Co., the vault door's manufacturer, said to his son, who was leaving home for the Pacific War front, "You will eventually reach mainland Japan. When you get there, go to the Bank of Japan and see whether the vault door is still working fine. We are the manufacturer, and if it has any trouble functioning, this will put shame on our company's honor."
After the war came to an end, the son visited the Bank and confirmed that the door was working properly, which he then reported to his father. When this story came to the Bank's attention, the relevant staff members were deeply impressed by this manufacturer's strong sense of responsibility.
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